On the foundation of equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics

We discuss the condition for the validity of equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics in the light of recent developments in the understanding of classical and quantum chaotic motion. In particular, the ergodicity parameter is shown to provide the conditions under which quantum statistical distributions can be derived from the quantum dynamics of a classical ergodic Hamiltonian system.Comment: 10 pages (RevTeX), 2 eps figure

Landauer and Thouless Conductance: a Band Random Matrix Approach

We numerically analyze the transmission through a thin disordered wire of finite length attached to perfect leads, by making use of banded random Hamiltonian matrices. We compare the Landauer and the Thouless conductances, and find that they are proportional to each other in the diffusive regime, while in the localized regime the Landauer conductance is approximately proportional to the square of the Thouless one. Fluctuations of the Landauer conductance were also numerically computed; they are shown to slowly approach the theoretically predicted value.Comment: 11 latex preprint pages with 6 ps figures, to appear in Journal de Physique I, May (1997

Increasing thermoelectric efficiency: dynamical models unveil microscopic mechanisms

Dynamical nonlinear systems provide a new approach to the old problem of increasing the efficiency of thermoelectric machines. In this review, we discuss stylized models of classical dynamics, including non-interacting complex molecules in an ergodic billiard, a disordered hard-point gas and an abstract thermoelectric machine. The main focus will be on the physical mechanisms, unveiled by these dynamical models, which lead to high thermoelectric efficiency approaching the Carnot limit

Mixing property of triangular billiards

We present numerical evidence which strongly suggests that irrational triangular billiards (all angles irrational with $\pi$) are mixing. Since these systems are known to have zero Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy, they may play an important role in understanding the statistical relaxation process.Comment: 4 pages in RevTeX with 4 eps-figure

How complex is the quantum motion?

In classical mechanics the complexity of a dynamical system is characterized by the rate of local exponential instability which effaces the memory of initial conditions and leads to practical irreversibility. In striking contrast, quantum mechanics appears to exhibit strong memory of the initial state. Here we introduce a notion of complexity for a quantum system and relate it to its stability and reversibility properties.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, new figure adde

Quantum Poincare' recurrences in microwave ionization of Rydberg atoms

We study the time dependence of the ionization probability of Rydberg atoms driven by a microwave field. The quantum survival probability follows the classical one up to the Heisenberg time and then decays inversely proportional to time, due to tunneling and localization effects. We provide parameter values which should allow one to observe such decay in laboratory experiments. Relations to the $1/f$ noise are also discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Contribution to the Proceedings of the Conference "Atoms, molecules and quantum dots in laser fields: fundamental processes", Pisa, June 200