Scarring in open quantum systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum scars, or localized eigenstates around unstable periodic orbits, persist in open quantum systems, demonstrating that classical structures influence quantum states even when the system interacts with an environment.

Contribution

It provides numerical evidence that quantum scarring persists in open systems, showing that eigenstate localization around classical orbits remains despite system openness.

Findings

Eigenstates show localization around unstable periodic orbits in open systems.

The structure of eigenfunctions is preserved despite system openness.

The study uses the quantum cat map as a model for quantum chaos.

Abstract

We study scarring phenomena in open quantum systems. We show numerical evidence that individual resonance eigenstates of an open quantum system present localization around unstable short periodic orbits in a similar way as their closed counterparts. The structure of eigenfunctions around these classical objects is not destroyed by the opening. This is exposed in a paradigmatic system of quantum chaos, the cat map.