Hundred photon microwave ionization of Rydberg atoms in a static electric field

We present analytical and numerical results for the microwave excitation of nonhydrogenic atoms in a static electric field when up to 1000 photons are required to ionize an atom. For small microwave fields, dynamical localization in photon number leads to exponentially small ionization while above quantum delocalization border ionization goes in a diffusive way. For alkali atoms in a static field the ionization border is much lower than in hydrogen due to internal chaos.Comment: revtex, 4 pages, 5 figure

Stochastic ionization through noble tori: Renormalization results

We find that chaos in the stochastic ionization problem develops through the break-up of a sequence of noble tori. In addition to being very accurate, our method of choice, the renormalization map, is ideally suited for analyzing properties at criticality. Our computations of chaos thresholds agree closely with the widely used empirical Chirikov criterion

Frequency Dependence of Quantum Localization in a Periodically Driven System

We study the quantum localization phenomena for a random matrix model belonging to the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble (GOE). An oscillating external field is applied on the system. After the transient time evolution, energy is saturated to various values depending on the frequencies. We investigate the frequency dependence of the saturated energy. This dependence cannot be explained by a naive picture of successive independent Landau-Zener transitions at avoided level crossing points. The effect of quantum interference is essential. We define the number of Floquet states which have large overlap with the initial state, and calculate its frequency dependence. The number of Floquet states shows approximately linear dependence on the frequency, when the frequency is small. Comparing the localization length in Floquet states and that in energy states from the viewpoint of the Anderson localization, we conclude that the Landau-Zener picture works for the local transition processes between levels.Comment: 12 pages and 6 figure

Diffusive Ionization of Relativistic Hydrogen-Like Atom

Stochastic ionization of highly excited relativistic hydrogenlike atom in the monochromatic field is investigated. A theoretical analisis of chaotic dynamics of the relativistic electron based on Chirikov criterion is given for the cases of one- and three-dimensional atoms. Critical value of the external field is evaluated analitically. The diffusion coefficient and ionization time are calculated.Comment: 13 pages, latex, no figures, submitted to PR

The Fermi accelerator in atom optics

We study the classical and quantum dynamics of a Fermi accelerator realized by an atom bouncing off a modulated atomic mirror. We find that in a window of the modulation amplitude dynamical localization occurs in both position and momentum. A recent experiment [A. Steane, P. Szriftgiser, P. Desbiolles, and J. Dalibard, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 74}, 4972 (1995)] shows that this system can be implemented experimentally.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Quantum chaos in the atomic gravitational cavity

We report quantum chaos phenomena in the atomic gravitational cavity. We consider the reflection of cold atoms from a temporally modulated evanescent wave. In the globally chaotic regime, for small modulation, the squared energy distribution as a function of time demonstrates dynamical localization. However, for larger modulation delocalization occurs

Quantum Coherence and Classical Chaos in a Pulsed Parametric Oscillator with a Kerr Nonlinearity

We consider a parametric amplifier driven by a periodically pulsed pump field inside a cavity containing a Kerr nonlinearity. The dynamics of the device is modeled as a kicked nonlinear system. The pulsed parametric amplifier constitutes the kick. In between kicks the dynamics is determined by the Kerr nonlinearity and damping. In the absence of damping, a classical description of the device exhibits a rich phase-space structure including fixed points of multiple period and chaos. We contrast the classical behavior of the mean intensity with that predicted by quantum dynamics. The mean photon number inside the cavity is shown to undergo regular collapse and revival in the regular region of the phase space and irregular revivals in the chaotic region. When damping is included, the quantum recurrences are rapidly suppressed, and the classical behavior is restored. In this case a stable steady state is possible. The damping represents the effect of photon-number measurements on the system. We also discuss the photon statistics in the steady state

Experimental study of the quantum driven pendulum and its classical analogue in atoms optics

We present experimental results for the dynamics of cold atoms in a far detuned amplitude-modulated optical standing wave. Phase-space resonances constitute distinct peaks in the atomic momentum distribution containing up to 65% of all atoms resulting from a mixed quantum chaotic phase space. We characterize the atomic behavior in classical and quantum regimes and we present the applicable quantum and classical theory, which we have developed and refined. We show experimental proof that the size and the position of the resonances in phase space can be controlled by varying several parameters, such as the modulation frequency, the scaled well depth, the modulation amplitude, and the scaled Planck's constant of the system. We have found a surprising stability against amplitude noise. We present methods to accurately control the momentum of an ensemble of atoms using these phase-space resonances which could be used for efficient phase-space state preparation

Dynamical Stability and Quantum Chaos of Ions in a Linear Trap

The realization of a paradigm chaotic system, namely the harmonically driven oscillator, in the quantum domain using cold trapped ions driven by lasers is theoretically investigated. The simplest characteristics of regular and chaotic dynamics are calculated. The possibilities of experimental realization are discussed.Comment: 24 pages, 17 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev

Quantum resonances and decoherence for delta-kicked atoms

The quantum resonances occurring with delta-kicked atoms when the kicking period is an integer multiple of the half-Talbot time are analyzed in detail. Exact results about the momentum distribution at exact resonance are established, both in the case of totally coherent dynamics and in the case when decoherence is induced by Spontaneous Emission. A description of the dynamics when the kicking period is close to, but not exactly at resonance, is derived by means of a quasi-classical approximation where the detuning from exact resonance plays the role of the Planck constant. In this way scaling laws describing the shape of the resonant peaks are obtained. Such analytical results are supported by extensive numerical simulations, and explain some recent surprising experimental observations.Comment: 51 pages, 13 figures; KEYWORDS: quantum chaos, decoherence, kicked rotor, dynamical localization, atom optics; submitted to Nonlinearit