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Evolution of fractal patterns during a classical-quantum transition
A P Micolich1, R P Taylor, A G Davies
1Materials Science Institute, Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1274, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|July 20, 2001
Abstract:
We investigate how fractals evolve into nonfractal behavior as the generation process is gradually suppressed. Fractals observed in the conductance of semiconductor billiards are of particular interest because the generation process is semiclassical and can be suppressed by transitions towards either fully classical or fully quantum-mechanical conduction. Investigating a range of billiards, we identify a "universal" behavior in the changeover from fractal to nonfractal conductance, which is described by a smooth evolution rather than deterioration in the fractal scaling properties.