Quantum-Classical Correspondence Principle for Work Distributions in a Chaotic System

TL;DR

This paper investigates the relationship between quantum and classical work distributions in chaotic systems, providing numerical evidence for a correspondence principle that extends previous results from integrable to chaotic systems.

Contribution

It demonstrates a quantum-classical correspondence principle for work distributions specifically in chaotic systems, supporting the validity of quantum work definitions via two-point energy measurements.

Findings

Existence of a quantum-classical work distribution correspondence in chaotic systems

Numerical evidence supporting the correspondence principle

Extension of previous results from integrable to chaotic systems

Abstract

We numerically study the work distributions in a chaotic system and examine the relationship between quantum work and classical work. Our numerical results suggest that there exists a correspondence principle between quantum and classical work distributions in a chaotic system. This correspondence was proved for one-dimensional (1D) integrable systems in a recent work [Jarzynski, Quan, and Rahav, Phys. Rev. X 5, 031038 (2015)]. Our investigation further justifies the definition of quantum work via two point energy measurements.