Distribution of the Wigner–Smith time-delay matrix for chaotic cavities with absorption and coupled Coulomb gases

Abstract

Within the random matrix theory approach to quantum scattering, we derive the distribution of the Wigner–Smith time delay matrix for a chaotic cavity with uniform absorption, coupled via N perfect channels. In the unitary class we obtain a compact expression for the distribution of the full matrix in terms of a matrix integral. In the other symmetry classes we derive the joint distribution of the eigenvalues. We show how the large N properties of this distribution can be analysed in terms of two interacting Coulomb gases living on two different supports. As an application of our results, we study the statistical properties of the Wigner time delay in the presence of absorption.