Canonical formalism for simplicial gravity

We summarise a recently introduced general canonical formulation of discrete systems which is fully equivalent to the covariant formalism. This framework can handle varying phase space dimensions and is applied to simplicial gravity in particular.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, based on a talk given at Loops '11 in Madrid, to appear in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS

Spectral correlations in systems undergoing a transition from periodicity to disorder

We study the spectral statistics for extended yet finite quasi 1-d systems which undergo a transition from periodicity to disorder. In particular we compute the spectral two-point form factor, and the resulting expression depends on the degree of disorder. It interpolates smoothly between the two extreme limits -- the approach to Poissonian statistics in the (weakly) disordered case, and the universal expressions derived for the periodic case. The theoretical results agree very well with the spectral statistics obtained numerically for chains of chaotic billiards and graphs.Comment: 16 pages, Late

Universal spectral properties of spatially periodic quantum systems with chaotic classical dynamics

We consider a quasi one-dimensional chain of N chaotic scattering elements with periodic boundary conditions. The classical dynamics of this system is dominated by diffusion. The quantum theory, on the other hand, depends crucially on whether the chain is disordered or invariant under lattice translations. In the disordered case, the spectrum is dominated by Anderson localization whereas in the periodic case, the spectrum is arranged in bands. We investigate the special features in the spectral statistics for a periodic chain. For finite N, we define spectral form factors involving correlations both for identical and non-identical Bloch numbers. The short-time regime is treated within the semiclassical approximation, where the spectral form factor can be expressed in terms of a coarse-grained classical propagator which obeys a diffusion equation with periodic boundary conditions. In the long-time regime, the form factor decays algebraically towards an asymptotic constant. In the limit $N\to\infty$, we derive a universal scaling function for the form factor. The theory is supported by numerical results for quasi one-dimensional periodic chains of coupled Sinai billiards.Comment: 33 pages, REVTeX, 13 figures (eps

Quantum Chaos and Random Matrix Theory - Some New Results

New insight into the correspondence between Quantum Chaos and Random Matrix Theory is gained by developing a semiclassical theory for the autocorrelation function of spectral determinants. We study in particular the unitary operators which are the quantum versions of area preserving maps. The relevant Random Matrix ensembles are the Circular ensembles. The resulting semiclassical expressions depend on the symmetry of the system with respect to time reversal, and on a classical parameter $\mu = tr U -1$ where U is the classical 1-step evolution operator. For system without time reversal symmetry, we are able to reproduce the exact Random Matrix predictions in the limit $\mu \to 0$. For systems with time reversal symmetry we can reproduce only some of the features of Random Matrix Theory. For both classes we obtain the leading corrections in $\mu$. The semiclassical theory for integrable systems is also developed, resulting in expressions which reproduce the theory for the Poissonian ensemble to leading order in the semiclassical limit.Comment: LaTeX, 16 pages, to appear in a special issue of Physica D with the proceedings of the workshop on "Physics and Dynamics Between Chaos, Order, and Noise", Berlin, 199

Lamm, Valluri, Jentschura and Weniger comment on "A Convergent Series for the QED Effective Action" by Cho and Pak [Phys. Rev. Lett. vol. 86, pp. 1947-1950 (2001)]

Complete results were obtained by us in [Can. J. Phys. 71, 389 (1993)] for convergent series representations of both the real and the imaginary part of the QED effective action; these derivations were based on correct intermediate steps. In this comment, we argue that the physical significance of the "logarithmic correction term" found by Cho and Pak in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1947 (2001)] in comparison to the usual expression for the QED effective action remains to be demonstrated. Further information on related subjects can be found in Appendix A of hep-ph/0308223 and in hep-th/0210240.Comment: 1 page, RevTeX; only "meta-data" update

Spectral Statistics in Chaotic Systems with Two Identical Connected Cells

Chaotic systems that decompose into two cells connected only by a narrow channel exhibit characteristic deviations of their quantum spectral statistics from the canonical random-matrix ensembles. The equilibration between the cells introduces an additional classical time scale that is manifest also in the spectral form factor. If the two cells are related by a spatial symmetry, the spectrum shows doublets, reflected in the form factor as a positive peak around the Heisenberg time. We combine a semiclassical analysis with an independent random-matrix approach to the doublet splittings to obtain the form factor on all time (energy) scales. Its only free parameter is the characteristic time of exchange between the cells in units of the Heisenberg time.Comment: 37 pages, 15 figures, changed content, additional autho

Dynamics of quantum dissipation systems interacting with bosonic canonical bath: Hierarchical equations of motion approach

A nonperturbative theory is developed, aiming at an exact and efficient evaluation of a general quantum system interacting with arbitrary bath environment at any temperature and in the presence of arbitrary time-dependent external fields. An exact hierarchical equations of motion formalism is constructed on the basis of calculus-on-path-integral algorithm, via the auxiliary influence generating functionals related to the interaction bath correlation functions in a parametrization expansion form. The corresponding continued-fraction Green's functions formalism for quantum dissipation is also presented. Proposed further is the principle of residue correction, not just for truncating the infinite hierarchy, but also for incorporating the small residue dissipation that may arise from the practical difference between the true and the parametrized bath correlation functions. The final residue-corrected hierarchical equations of motion can therefore be used practically for the evaluation of arbitrary dissipative quantum systems.Comment: 12 pages, submitted to PR

Exact quantum master equation for a molecular aggregate coupled to a harmonic bath

We consider a molecular aggregate consisting of $N$ identical monomers. Each monomer comprises two electronic levels and a single harmonic mode. The monomers interact with each other via dipole-dipole forces. The monomer vibrational modes are bilinearly coupled to a bath of harmonic oscillators. This is a prototypical model for the description of coherent exciton transport, from quantum dots to photosynthetic antennae. We derive an exact quantum master equation for such systems. Computationally, the master equation may be useful for the testing of various approximations employed in theories of quantum transport. Physically, it offers a plausible explanation of the origins of long-lived coherent optical responses of molecular aggregates in dissipative environments

Signature of Chaotic Diffusion in Band Spectra

We investigate the two-point correlations in the band spectra of spatially periodic systems that exhibit chaotic diffusion in the classical limit. By including level pairs pertaining to non-identical quasimomenta, we define form factors with the winding number as a spatial argument. For times smaller than the Heisenberg time, they are related to the full space-time dependence of the classical diffusion propagator. They approach constant asymptotes via a regime, reflecting quantal ballistic motion, where they decay by a factor proportional to the number of unit cells. We derive a universal scaling function for the long-time behaviour. Our results are substantiated by a numerical study of the kicked rotor on a torus and a quasi-one-dimensional billiard chain.Comment: 8 pages, REVTeX, 5 figures (eps