Semiclassical Trace Formula Research Articles

Periodic orbit theory of Bethe-integrable quantum systems: an N-particle Berry–Tabor trace formula

One of the fundamental results of semiclassical theory is the existence of trace formulae showing how spectra of quantum mechanical systems emerge from massive interference among amplitudes related with time-periodic structures of the corresponding classical limit. If it displays the properties of Hamiltonian integrability, this connection is given by the celebrated Berry–Tabor trace formula, and the periodic structures it is built on are tori supporting closed trajectories in phase space. Here we show how to extend this connection into the domain of quantum many-body systems displaying integrability in the sense of the Bethe ansatz, where a classical limit cannot be rigorously defined due to the presence of singular potentials. Formally following the original derivation of Berry and Tabor (1976 Proc. R. Soc. A 349 101), but applied to the Bethe equations without underlying classical structure, we obtain a many-particle trace formula for the density of states of N interacting bosons on a ring, the Lieb–Liniger model. Our semiclassical expressions are in excellent agreement with quantum mechanical results for and 4 particles. For N = 2 we relate our results to the quantization of billiards with mixed boundary conditions. Our work paves the way towards the treatment of the important class of integrable many-body systems by means of semiclassical trace formulae pioneered by Michael Berry in the single-particle context.

Trace formula for the magnetic Laplacian at zero energy level

The paper is devoted to the trace formula for the magnetic Laplacian associated with a magnetic system on a compact manifold. This formula is a natural generalization of Gutzwiller's semiclassical trace formula and reduces to it in the case when the magnetic field form is exact. It differs slightly from the Guillemin-Uribe trace formula considered in a previous paper of the author and Taimanov. Moreover, in contrast to that paper, the focus is on the trace formula at the zero energy level, which is a critical energy level. An overview of the main notions and results related to the trace formula at the zero energy level is presented, various approaches to its proof are described, and concrete examples of its computation are given. In addition, a brief review of Gutzwiller's trace formula for regular and critical energy levels is presented. Bibliography: 88 titles.

Geometric quantization of symplectic maps and Witten's asymptotic conjecture

We use the theory of Berezin-Toeplitz operators of Ma and Marinescu to study the spaces of holomorphic sections of a prequantizing line bundle over compact Kähler manifolds under deformations of the complex structure. We show that the parallel transport in the induced vector bundle over the deformation space behaves like a Toeplitz operator, and compute its first coefficient. We then use this result to establish a semi-classical trace formula for the induced quantization of symplectic maps, and give an application to Witten's asymptotic expansion conjecture for the quantum representations of the mapping class group.

Semiclassical level density parameter with collective enhancements in nuclei

In this work, we calculate the level density parameter for several nuclei by deploying the semiclassical trace formula for spherically symmetric harmonic oscillator potential with spin-orbit interactions, which describes the quantum shell effects in terms of the classical periodic orbits. With the usage of recently proposed Laplace like formula of level density parameter by Canbula et al., the effects of collective rotations and vibrations as well as deformations in nuclei are incorporated. The comparison of our results with the experimental ones show a good agreement. Later on, the study is also extended to the calculation of nuclear level density and survival probability in several superheavy nuclei (SHN).

Asymptotic relationship between homoclinic points and periodic orbit stability exponents.

The magnitudes of the terms in periodic orbit semiclassical trace formulas are determined by the orbits' stability exponents. In this paper, we demonstrate a simple asymptotic relationship between those stability exponents and the phase-space positions of particular homoclinic points.

Semiclassical trace formula for truncated spherical well potentials: Toward the analyses of shell structures in nuclear fission processes

Trace formulas for the contributions of degenerate periodic-orbit families to the semiclassical level density in truncated spherical hard-wall potentials are derived. In addition to the portion of the continuous periodic-orbit family contribution which persists after truncation, end-point corrections to the truncated family should be taken into account. I propose a formula to evaluate these end-point corrections as separate contributions of what I call marginal orbits. Applications to the two-dimensional billiard and three-dimensional cavity systems with the three-quadratic-surfaces shape parametrization, initiated to describe the nuclear fission processes, reveal unexpectedly large effects of the marginal orbits.

Semiclassical analysis of distinct square partitions

We study the number $P(n)$ of partitions of an integer $n$ into sums of distinct squares and derive an integral representation of the function $P(n)$. Using semi-classical and quantum statistical methods, we determine its asymptotic average part $P_{as}(n)$, deriving higher-order contributions to the known leading-order expression [M. Tran {\it et al.}, Ann.\ Phys.\ (N.Y.) {\bf 311}, 204 (2004)], which yield a faster convergence to the average values of the exact $P(n)$. From the Fourier spectrum of $P(n)$ we obtain hints that integer-valued frequencies belonging to the smallest Pythagorean triples $(m,p,q)$ of integers with $m^2+p^2=q^2$ play an important role in the oscillations of $P(n)$. Finally we analyze the oscillating part $\delta P(n)=P(n)-P_{as}(n)$ in the spirit of semi-classical periodic orbit theory [M. Brack and R. K. Bhaduri: {\it Semiclassical Physics} (Bolder, Westview Press, 2003)]. A semi-classical trace formula is derived which accurately reproduces the exact $\delta P(n)$ for $n > \sim 500$ using 10 pairs of `orbits'. For $n > \sim 4000$ only two pairs of orbits with the frequencies 4 and 5 -- belonging to the lowest Pythagorean triple (3,4,5) -- are relevant and create the prominent beating pattern in the oscillations. For $n > \sim 100,000$ the beat fades away and the oscillations are given by just one pair of orbits with frequency 4.

Semiclassical Trace Formula and Spectral Shift Function for Systems via a Stationary Approach

We establish a semiclassical trace formula in a general framework of microhyperbolic hermitian systems of $h$-pseudodifferential operators, and apply it to the study of the spectral shift function associated to a pair of selfadjoint Schrodinger operators with matrix-valued potentials. We give Weyl type semiclassical asymptotics with sharp remainder estimate for the spectral shift function, and, under the existence of a scalar escape function, a full asymptotic expansion in the strong sense for its derivative. A time-independent approach enables us to treat certain potentials with energy-level crossings.

On the semiclassical functional calculus for h-dependent functions

We study the functional calculus for operators of the form \(f_h(P(h))\) within the theory of semiclassical pseudodifferential operators, where \(\{f_h\}_{h\in (0,1]}\subset \mathrm{C^\infty _c}({{\mathbb {R}}})\) denotes a family of h-dependent functions satisfying some regularity conditions, and P(h) is either an appropriate self-adjoint semiclassical pseudodifferential operator in \(\mathrm{L}^2({{\mathbb {R}}}^n)\) or a Schrodinger operator in \(\mathrm{L}^2(M), M\) being a closed Riemannian manifold of dimension n. The main result is an explicit semiclassical trace formula with remainder estimate that is well-suited for studying the spectrum of P(h) in spectral windows of width of order \(h^\delta \), where \(0\le \delta <\frac{1}{2}\).

Gutzwiller’s semiclassical trace formula and Maslov-type index theory for symplectic paths

Gutzwiller’s famous semiclassical trace formula plays an important role in theoretical and experimental quantum mechanics with tremendous success. We review the physical derivation of this deep periodic orbit theory in terms of the phase space formulation with a view toward the Hamiltonian dynamical systems. The Maslov phase appearing in the trace formula is clarified by Meinrenken as Conley–Zehnder index for periodic orbits of Hamiltonian systems. We also survey and compare various versions of Maslov indices to establish this fact. A refinement and improvement to Conley–Zehnder’s index theory in which we will recall all essential ingredients is the Maslov-type index theory for symplectic paths developed by Long and his collaborators. It would shed new light on the computations and understandings of the semiclassical trace formula. The insights in Gutzwiller’s work also seems plausible for the studies of Hamiltonian systems.

Large-scale behaviour of local and entanglement entropy of the free Fermi gas at any temperature**In memory of Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) on the occasion of the birthday of the ideal Fermi gas.

The leading asymptotic large-scale behaviour of the spatially bipartite entanglement entropy (EE) of the free Fermi gas infinitely extended in multidimensional Euclidean space at zero absolute temperature, T = 0, is by now well understood. Here, we present and discuss the first rigorous results for the corresponding EE of thermal equilibrium states at . The leading large-scale term of this thermal EE turns out to be twice the first-order finite-size correction to the infinite-volume thermal entropy (density). Not surprisingly, this correction is just the thermal entropy on the interface of the bipartition. However, it is given by a rather complicated integral derived from a semiclassical trace formula for a certain operator on the underlying one-particle Hilbert space. But in the zero-temperature limit , the leading large-scale term of the thermal EE considerably simplifies and displays a -singularity which one may identify with the known logarithmic enhancement at T = 0 of the so-called area-law scaling.

Semiclassical moment of inertia shell-structure within the phase-space approach

The moment of inertia for nuclear collective rotations is derived within a semiclassical approach based on the cranking model and the Strutinsky shell-correction method by using the non-perturbative periodic-orbit theory in the phase-space variables. This moment of inertia for adiabatic (statistical-equilibrium) rotations can be approximated by the generalized rigid-body moment of inertia accounting for the shell corrections of the particle density. A semiclassical phase-space trace formula allows us to express the shell components of the moment of inertia quite accurately in terms of the free-energy shell corrections for integrable and partially chaotic Fermi systems, which is in good agreement with the corresponding quantum calculations.

Phonon-induced superconductivity at high temperatures in electrical graphene superlattices

Due to the chiral nature of the Dirac equation, overlying of an electrical superlattice (SL) can open new Dirac points on the Fermi-surface of the energy spectrum. These lead to novel low-excitation physical phenomena. A typical example for such a system is neutral graphene with a symmetrical unidirectional SL. We show here that in smooth SLs, a semiclassical approximation provides a good mathematical description for particles. Due to the one-dimensional nature of the unidirectional potential, a wavefunction description leads to a generalized Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition for the energy eigenvalues. In order to pave the way for the application of semiclassical methods to two dimensional SLs in general, we compare these energy eigenvalues with those obtained from numerical calculations, and with the results from a semiclassical Gutzwiller trace formula via the beam-splitting technique. Finally, we calculate ballistic conductivities in general point-symmetric unidirectional SLs with one electron and one hole region in the fundamental cell showing only Klein scattering of the semiclassical wavefunctions.

Nodal domains of the equilateral triangle billiard

We characterize the eigenfunctions of an equilateral triangle billiard in terms of its nodal domains. The number of nodal domains has a quadratic form in terms of the quantum numbers, with a non-trivial number-theoretic factor. The patterns of the eigenfunctions follow a group-theoretic connection in a way that makes them predictable as one goes from one state to another. Extensive numerical investigations bring out the distribution functions of the mode number and signed areas. The statistics of the boundary intersections is also treated analytically. Finally, the distribution functions of the nodal loop count and the nodal counting function are shown to contain information about the classical periodic orbits using the semiclassical trace formula. We believe that the results belong generically to non-separable systems, thus extending the previous works which are concentrated on separable and chaotic systems.

Semiclassical trace formula for the two-dimensional radial power-law potentials

The trace formula for the density of single-particle levels in the two-dimensional radial power-law potentials, which nicely approximate up to a constant shift the radial dependence of the Woods-Saxon potential and its quantum spectra in a bound region, was derived by the improved stationary phase method. The specific analytical results are obtained for the powers α=4 and 6. The enhancement of periodic-orbit contribution to the level density near the bifurcations are found to be significant for the description of the fine shell structure. The semiclassical trace formulas for the shell corrections to the level density and the energy of many-fermion systems reproduce the quantum results with good accuracy through all the bifurcation (symmetry breaking) catastrophe points, where the standard stationary-phase method breaks down. Various limits (including the harmonic oscillator and the spherical billiard) are obtained from the same analytical trace formula.

Semiclassical approach to the physics of smooth superlattice potentials in graphene

Due to the chiral nature of the Dirac equation, governing the dynamics of electrons in graphene, overlying of an electrical superlattice (SL) can open new Dirac points on the Fermi surface of the energy spectrum. These lead to novel low-excitation physical phenomena. A typical example for such a system is neutral graphene with a symmetrical unidirectional SL. We show here that in smooth SLs, a semiclassical approximation provides a good mathematical description for particles. Due to the one-dimensional nature of the unidirectional potential, a wave-function description leads to a generalized Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition for the energy eigenvalues. In order to pave the way for the application of semiclassical methods to two-dimensional SLs in general, we compare these energy eigenvalues with those obtained from numerical calculations and with the results from a semiclassical Gutzwiller trace formula via the beam-splitting technique. Finally, we calculate ballistic conductivities in general point-symmetric unidirectional SLs with one electron and one hole region in the fundamental cell showing only Klein scattering of the semiclassical wave functions.

Trace formulae for quantum graphs with edge potentials

This work explores the spectra of quantum graphs where the Schrödinger operator on the edges is equipped with a potential. The scattering approach, which was originally introduced for the potential free case, is extended to this case and used to derive a secular function whose zeros coincide with the eigenvalue spectrum. Exact trace formulas for both smooth and δ-potentials are derived, and an asymptotic semi-classical trace formula (for smooth potentials) is presented and discussed.

Semiclassical trace formulas and heat expansions

in the recent paper [Journal of Physics A, 43474-0288 (2011)], B. Helffer and R. Purice compute the second term of a semi-classical trace formula for a Schrodinger operator with magnetic field. We show how to recover their formula by using the methods developped by the geometers in the seventies for the heat expansions.

Trace formula for dielectric cavities. III. TE modes

The construction of the semiclassical trace formula for resonances with transverse electric polarization for two-dimensional dielectric cavities is discussed. Special attention is given to the derivation of the two first terms of Weyl's series for the average number of such resonances. The formulas obtained agree well with numerical calculations for dielectric cavities of different shapes.

Trace formula for chaotic dielectric resonators tested with microwave experiments

We measured the resonance spectra of two stadium-shaped dielectric microwave resonators and tested a semiclassical trace formula for chaotic dielectric resonators proposed by Bogomolny et al. [Phys. Rev. E 78, 056202 (2008)]. We found good qualitative agreement between the experimental data and the predictions of the trace formula. Deviations could be attributed to missing resonances in the measured spectra in accordance with previous experiments [Phys. Rev. E 81, 066215 (2010)]. The investigation of the numerical length spectrum showed good qualitative and reasonable quantitative agreement with the trace formula. It demonstrated, however, the need for higher-order corrections of the trace formula. The application of a curvature correction to the Fresnel reflection coefficients entering the trace formula yielded better agreement, but deviations remained, indicating the necessity of further investigations.