Wigner-Smith Time Delay Research Articles

Wigner time delay in photoionization: a 1D model study

In scattering theory, the Wigner–Smith time delay, calculated through a phaseshift derivative or its multichannel generalization, has been demonstrated to measure the amount of delay or advance experienced by colliding particles during their interaction with the scattering potential. Fetic, Becker, and Milosevic argue that this concept cannot be extended to include photoionization, viewed as a half-scattering experiment. Their argument is based on the lack of information about scattering phaseshifts in the part of the wavefunction (satisfying the ingoing-wave boundary condition) going to the detector. This article aims to test this claim by examining a photodetachment process in a simple 1D model with a short-range symmetrical potential. Using time-dependent perturbation theory with a dipole interaction, the relevant wavepacket of the outgoing particle is analyzed and compared to the free wavepacket as a reference. Our findings confirm that, indeed, a time delay arises in the liberated fragmentation wavepacket, which is expressed as an energy derivative of the scattering phaseshift. Our study highlights that the source of the phaseshift content in the wavepacket arriving at the detector is the dipole matrix element, which is a direct consequence of imposing the ingoing-wave boundary condition. We illustrate our results through numerical simulations of both the non-free and free wavepackets. The amount of the observed time delay is found to be half of that appearing in a typical scattering experiment.

Wigner–Smith Time Delay Matrix for Electromagnetics: Systems With Material Dispersion and Losses

The Wigner-Smith (WS) time delay matrix relates a system’s scattering matrix to its frequency derivative and gives rise to so-called WS modes that experience well-defined group delays when interacting with the system. For systems composed of nondispersive and lossless materials, the WS time delay matrix previously was shown to consist of volume integrals of energy-like densities plus correction terms that account for the guiding, scattering, or radiating characteristics of the system. This study extends the use of the WS time delay matrix to systems composed of dispersive and lossy materials. Specifically, it shows that such systems’ WS time delay matrix can be expressed by augmenting the previously derived expressions with terms that account for the dispersive and lossy nature of the system, followed by a transformation that disentangles effects of losses from time delays. Analytical and numerical examples demonstrate the new formulation once again allows for the construction of frequency stable WS modes that experience well-defined group delays upon interacting with a system.

Wigner-Smith time delay matrix for acoustic scattering: Theory and phenomenology.

The Wigner-Smith (WS) time delay matrix relates a lossless system's scattering matrix to its frequency derivative. First proposed in the realm of quantum mechanics to characterize time delays experienced by particles during a collision, this article extends the use of WS time delay techniques to acoustic scattering problems governed by the Helmholtz equation. Expression for the entries of the WS time delay matrix involving renormalized volume integrals of energy densities are derived, and shown to hold true, independent of the scatterer's geometry, boundary condition (sound-soft or sound-hard), and excitation. Numerical examples show that the eigenmodes of the WS time delay matrix describe distinct scattering phenomena characterized by well-defined time delays.

Wigner–Smith Time-Delay Matrix for Electromagnetics: Guiding and Periodic Systems With Evanescent Modes

The Wigner-Smith (WS) time delay matrix relates an electromagnetic system’s scattering matrix and its frequency derivative. Previous work showed that the entries of WS time delay matrices of systems excited by propagating waves consist of volume integrals of energy-like field quantities. This paper introduces a generalized WS relationship that applies to systems excited by mixtures of propagating and evanescent fields. Just like its predecessor, the generalized WS relationship allows for the identification of so-called WS modes that interact with the system with well-defined time delays. Furthermore, a technique is developed to compute the WS time delay matrix of a composite system from the WS time delay matrices of its subsystems. Numerical examples demonstrate the usefulness of the generalized WS method when characterizing time delays experienced by fields interacting with guiding and periodic structures that have ports supporting evanescent modes.

Semiclassical calculation of time delay statistics in chaotic quantum scattering

We present a semiclassical calculation, based on classical action correlations implemented by means of a matrix integral, of all moments of the Wigner–Smith time delay matrix, Q, in the context of quantum scattering through systems with chaotic dynamics. Our results are valid for broken time reversal symmetry and depend only on the classical dwell time and the number of open channels, M, which is arbitrary. Agreement with corresponding random matrix theory reduces to an identity involving some combinatorial concepts, which can be proved in special cases.

Eisenbud–Wigner–Smith time delay in atom–laser interactions

Recent development of ultrafast measurement techniques on the sub-femtosecond time scale has enabled us to see the atom–laser interaction in real time. One of the important observables to study the temporally resolved dynamics is the various time delay in the process. Time delays is an experimentally measurable quantity, where the time is not. Time delays in quantum collisions and in photoionization/photodetachment of atomic and molecular systems is reviewed. The formalisms of time delay in the context of quantum collisions by Eisenbud and Wigner that by Smith and their equivalence is discussed. The time-reversal symmetry between solutions with outgoing and ingoing wave boundary conditions allow us to interpret photoionization/photodetachment as half-scattering. Subsequently, the formalism of Eisenbud–Wigner–Smith time delay is extended in photoionization/photodetachment from collisions. We discuss that the time delay can be written as a self-adjoint quantum operator which depicts its measurability. On the experimental side, the measurement protocols are reviewed for attosecond streaking and RABBITT. Along with the EWS time delay, the measurement introduces an additional (which is negative) time delay. From the measurement of total delay and an analytical/numerical estimate of the measurement induced part, one gets the EWS time delay in the process. A few illustrative examples of studies on time delay are given to get a flavour of the outstanding advances made in this field in the last two decades.

Wigner–Smith Time Delay Matrix for Electromagnetics: Computational Aspects for Radiation and Scattering Analysis

The WS time delay matrix relates a lossless and reciprocal system's scattering matrix to its frequency derivative, and enables the synthesis of modes that experience well-defined group delays when interacting with the system. The elements of the WS time delay matrix for surface scatterers and antennas comprise renormalized energy-like volume integrals involving electric and magnetic fields that arise when exciting the system via its ports. Here, direct and indirect methods for computing the WS time delay matrix are presented. The direct method evaluates the energy-like volume integrals using surface integral operators that act on the incident electric fields and current densities for all excitations characterizing the scattering matrix. The indirect method accomplishes the same task by computing scattering parameters and their frequency derivatives. Both methods are computationally efficient and readily integrated into existing surface integral equation codes. The proposed techniques facilitate the evaluation of frequency derivatives of antenna impedances, antenna patterns, and scatterer radar cross sections in terms of renormalized field energies derived from a single frequency characterization of the system.

Wigner–Smith matrix, exponential functional of the matrix Brownian motion and matrix Dufresne identity

We consider a multichannel wire with a disordered region of length L and a reflecting boundary. The reflection of a wave of frequency ω is described by the scattering matrix , encoding the probability amplitudes to be scattered from one channel to another. The Wigner–Smith time delay matrix is another important matrix, which encodes temporal aspects of the scattering process. In order to study its statistical properties, we split the scattering matrix in terms of two unitary matrices, (with in the presence of time reversal symmetry), and introduce a novel symmetrisation procedure for the Wigner–Smith matrix: , where k is the wave vector and v the group velocity. We demonstrate that can be expressed under the form of an exponential functional of a matrix Brownian motion. For semi-infinite wires, L → ∞, using a matricial extension of the Dufresne identity, we recover straightforwardly the joint distribution for ’s eigenvalues of Brouwer and Beenakker (2001 Physica E 9 463). For finite length L, the exponential functional representation is used to calculate the first moments , and . Finally we derive a partial differential equation for the resolvent in the large N limit.

Nonresonant Density of States Enhancement at Low Energies for Three or Four Neutrons.

The low energy systems of three or four neutrons are treated within the adiabatic hyperspherical framework, yielding an understanding of the low energy quantum states in terms of an adiabatic potential energy curve. The dominant low energy potential curve for each system, computed here using widely accepted nucleon-nucleon interactions with and without the inclusion of a three-nucleon force, shows no sign of a low energy resonance. However, both systems exhibit a low energy enhancement of the density of states, or of the Wigner-Smith time delay, which derives from long-range universal physics analogous to the Efimov effect. That enhancement could be relevant to understanding the low energy excess of correlated four-neutron ejection events observed experimentally in a nuclear reaction by Kisamori etal. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 052501 (2016)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.116.052501].

Wigner–Smith Time-Delay Matrix for Electromagnetics: Theory and Phenomenology

Wigner-Smith (WS) time delay concepts have been used extensively in quantum mechanics to characterize delays experienced by particles interacting with a potential well. This paper formally extends WS time delay theory to Maxwell's equations and explores its potential applications in electromagnetics. The WS time delay matrix relates a lossless and reciprocal system's scattering matrix to its frequency derivative and allows for the construction of modes that experience well-defined group delays when interacting with the system. The matrix' entries for guiding, scattering, and radiating systems are energy-like overlap integrals of the electric and/or magnetic fields that arise upon excitation of the system via its ports. The WS time delay matrix has numerous applications in electromagnetics, including the characterization of group delays in multiport systems, the description of electromagnetic fields in terms of elementary scattering processes, and the characterization of frequency sensitivities of fields and multiport antenna impedance matrices.

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

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.

Scattering Approach to Anderson Localization

We develop a novel approach to the Anderson localization problem in a d-dimensional disordered sample of dimension L×M^{d-1}. Attaching a perfect lead with the cross section M^{d-1} to one side of the sample, we derive evolution equations for the scattering matrix and the Wigner-Smith time delay matrix as a function of L. Using them one obtains the Fokker-Planck equation for the distribution of the proper delay times and the evolution equation for their density at weak disorder. The latter can be mapped onto a nonlinear partial differential equation of the Burgers type, for which a complete analytical solution for arbitrary L is constructed. Analyzing the solution for a cubic sample with M=L in the limit L→∞, we find that for d<2 the solution tends to the localized fixed point, while for d>2 to the metallic fixed point, and provide explicit results for the density of the delay times in these two limits.

Cross section versus time delay and trapping probability

We study the behavior of the s-wave partial cross section σ(k), the Wigner–Smith time delay τ(k), and the trapping probability P(k) as function of the wave number k. The s-wave central square well is used for concreteness, simplicity, and to elucidate the controversy whether it shows true resonances. It is shown that, except for very sharp structures, the resonance part of the cross section, the trapping probability, and the time delay, reach their local maxima at different values of k. We show numerically that τ(k)>0 at its local maxima, occurring just before the resonant part of the cross section reaches its local maxima. These results are discussed in the light of the standard definition of resonance.

Wigner time delay and related concepts: Application to transport in coherent conductors

The concepts of Wigner time delay and Wigner–Smith matrix allow us to characterise temporal aspects of a quantum scattering process. The paper reviews the statistical properties of the Wigner time delay for disordered systems; the case of disorder in 1D with a chiral symmetry is discussed and the relation with exponential functionals of the Brownian motion is underlined. Another approach for the analysis of time delay statistics is the random matrix approach, from which we review few results. As a practical illustration, we briefly outline a theory of non-linear transport and AC transport developed by Büttiker and coworkers, where the concept of Wigner–Smith time delay matrix is a central piece allowing us to describe screening properties in out-of-equilibrium coherent conductors.

Probing time-ordering in two-photon double ionization of helium on the attosecond time scale

We show that time ordering underlying time-dependent quantum dynamics is a physical observable accessible by attosecond streaking. We demonstrate the extraction of time ordering for the prototypical case of time-resolved two-photon double ionization of helium by an attosecond XUV pulse. The Eisenbud–Wigner–Smith time delay for the emission of a two-electron wavepacket and the time interval between subsequent emission events can be unambiguously determined by attosecond streaking. The delay between the two emission events sensitively depends on the energy, pulse duration, and angular distribution of the emitted electron pair. Our fully-dimensional ab initio quantum mechanical simulations provide benchmark data for experimentally accessible observables.

Spin-polarized dynamic transport in tubular two-dimensional electron gases

The ac conductance of a finite tubular two-dimensional electron gas is studied in the presence of the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. When the tube is coupled to two reservoirs, that interaction splits the steps in the dc current, introducing energy ranges with spin-polarized currents. For this setup, we calculate the current-current correlations (the noise spectrum) and show that the existence of these dc spin-polarized currents can be deduced from the shot noise. We also find that the Wigner-Smith time delay is almost unaffected by the spin-orbit interaction. When the tube is coupled to a single reservoir, we calculate the quantum capacitance and the charge-relaxation resistance, and find that they exhibit singularities near the openings of new channels.

Numerical simulation of time delays in light-induced ionization

We apply a fundamental definition of time delay, as the difference between the time a particle spends within a finite region of a potential and the time a free particle spends in the same region, to determine results for photoionization of an electron by an extreme ultraviolet (XUV) laser field using numerical simulations on a grid. Our numerical results are in good agreement with those of the Wigner-Smith time delay, obtained as the derivative of the phase shift of the scattering wave packet with respect to its energy, for the short-range Yukawa potential. In case of the Coulomb potential we obtain time delays for any finite region, while - as expected - the results do not converge as the size of the region increases towards infinity. The impact of an ultrashort near-infrared probe pulse on the time delay is analyzed for both the Yukawa as well as the Coulomb potential and is found to be small for intensities below $10^{13}$ W/cm$^2$.

Theoretical analysis of time delays and streaking effects in XUV photoionization

We apply a recently proposed theoretical concept and numerical approach to obtain time delays in extreme ultraviolet (XUV) photoionization of an electron in a short- or long-range potential. The results of our numerical simulations on a space–time grid are compared to those for the well-known Wigner–Smith time delay and different methods to obtain the latter time delay are reviewed. We further use our numerical method to analyze the effect of a near-infrared streaking field on the time delay obtained in the numerical simulations.

Density of proper delay times in chaotic and integrable quantum billiards.

We calculate the density P(tau) of the eigenvalues of the Wigner-Smith time delay matrix for two-dimensional rectangular and circular billiards with one opening. For long times, the density of these so-called "proper delay times" decays algebraically, in contradistinction to chaotic quantum billiards for which P(tau) exhibits a long-time cutoff.

Quantum time delay in chaotic scattering: a semiclassical approach

We study the universal fluctuations of the Wigner-Smith time delay for systems which exhibit chaotic dynamics in their classical limit. We present a new derivation of the semiclassical relation of the quantum time delay to properties of the set of trapped periodic orbits in the repeller. As an application, we calculate the energy correlator in the crossover regime between preserved and fully broken time reversal symmetry. We discuss the range of validity of our results and compare them with the predictions of random matrix theories.