Dynamical Localization in Molecular Alignment of Kicked Quantum Rotors

TL;DR

This paper investigates how random variations in kick timing affect quantum rotor localization, showing that such deviations can break localization and enhance molecular alignment, akin to Anderson localization phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces the study of randomized kick periods in quantum rotors, revealing their impact on localization and rotational alignment, a novel approach in this context.

Findings

Random deviations break energy and angular momentum localization.

Enhanced rotational alignment occurs due to disrupted localization.

Simulation and experimental results confirm the effects.

Abstract

The periodically $\delta$-kicked quantum linear rotor is known to experience non-classical bounded energy growth due to quantum dynamical localization in angular momentum space. We study the effect of random deviations of the kick period in simulations and experiments. This breaks the energy and angular momentum localization and increases the rotational alignment, which is the analog of the onset of Anderson localization in 1-D chains.