Related Experiment Videos
Quantum chaos induced by nonadiabatic coupling in wave-packet dynamics.
Hisashi Higuchi1, Kazuo Takatsuka
1Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
Summary
Nonadiabatic coupling, arising from the breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, induces quantum chaos in wave-packet dynamics. This chaos is observed through wave packet splitting and merging at potential function crossings.
Area of Science:
- Quantum dynamics
- Theoretical chemistry
- Chemical physics
Background:
- The Born-Oppenheimer approximation is fundamental in molecular quantum mechanics.
- Breakdown of this approximation leads to nonadiabatic effects.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for describing complex molecular systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of nonadiabatic coupling on chaotic behavior.
- To develop methods for quantifying chaos in quantum dynamics.
- To demonstrate the quantum nature of chaos induced by nonadiabaticity.
Main Methods:
- Devised novel measures (indicators) to quantify chaos.
- Analyzed time-dependent wave-packet dynamics on coupled potential energy surfaces.
- Studied wave packet behavior at regions of potential function quasicrossing.
Main Results:
- Nonadiabatic coupling was shown to induce chaos in wave-packet dynamics.
- The devised measures successfully detected the extent of chaos.
- Chaos was observed to arise from the bifurcation and merging of wave packets.
Conclusions:
- Nonadiabatic coupling is a source of quantum chaos.
- The developed indicators are effective in characterizing this chaos.
- This quantum chaos originates from wave packet dynamics at potential crossings.