Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026

06:42
Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
Universal and nonuniversal level statistics in a chaotic quantum spin chain.
1Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico. carlospgmat03@gmail.com
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|February 1, 2008
Summary
We investigated quantum chaos in a multiqubit system. Long-range energy level statistics mimic semiclassical systems, while short-range statistics match random matrix theory, revealing unique behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Quantum physics
- Quantum chaos
- Spin systems
Background:
- Interacting multiqubit systems exhibit complex quantum dynamics.
- Quantum chaos studies the transition from quantum to classical mechanics.
- Random matrix theory (RMT) describes statistical properties of quantum systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the level statistics of the kicked Ising spin chain, a model for quantum chaos.
- To compare long-range and short-range quasienergy level statistics with theoretical predictions.
- To identify nonuniversal behaviors in quantum chaotic systems.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of quasienergy level statistics in the kicked Ising spin chain.
- Comparison of statistical properties with predictions from random matrix theory.
- Examination of system-specific behaviors at short time scales.
Main Results:
- Long-range level statistics show analogies to semiclassical systems with periodic orbits.
- Short-range level statistics exhibit agreement with random matrix theory.
- Evidence of nonuniversal, system-specific behavior at short timescales was found.
Conclusions:
- The kicked Ising spin chain displays distinct statistical behaviors at different ranges.
- Quantum chaotic systems can exhibit nonuniversal characteristics beyond RMT predictions.
- Results suggest unique quantum phenomena in interacting spin systems without a classical limit.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution
Near absolute zero temperatures, in the presence of a magnetic field, the majority of nuclei prefer the lower energy spin-up state to the higher energy spin-down state. As temperatures increase, the energy from thermal collisions distributes the spins more equally between the two states. The Boltzmann distribution equation gives the ratio of the number of spins predicted in the spin −½ (N−) and spin +½ (N+) states.
Entropy
Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
Entropy
The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
Absolute Entropies and the Third Law of Thermodynamics
Ludwig Edward Boltzmann developed a definition for entropy, which stated that absolute entropy is proportional to the natural logarithm of the number of possible combinations of particles. Entropy stands alone among state functions as the only one whose absolute values can be determined.Consider a gas sample confined to a container. As the container expands, the energy levels of gas molecules become more closely spaced. This increases the number of available energy states, thereby increasing...
The Entropy as a State Function
Consider an arbitrary process that moves between two specific states (A and B) in a cyclic manner. This process is reversible and broken down into smaller parts that each follow a Carnot cycle. A Carnot cycle has two isothermal (constant temperature) processes. During these processes, the ratio of the amount of heat transferred to their respective temperature remains constant. The other two processes in the Carnot cycle are also reversible but adiabatic, which means they occur without any heat...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview
NMR-active nuclei have energy levels called 'spin states' that are associated with the orientations of their nuclear magnetic moments. In the absence of a magnetic field, the nuclear magnetic moments are randomly oriented, and the spin states are degenerate. When an external magnetic field is applied, the spin states have only 2 + 1 orientations available to them. A proton with = ½ has two available orientations. Similarly, for a quadrupolar nucleus with a nuclear spin value of one, the...