Uncovering Universal Wave Fluctuations In a Scaled Ray-Chaotic Cavity With Remote Injection

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that a miniaturized, scaled-down ray-chaotic cavity replicates the wave statistical properties of a larger cavity, enabling practical laboratory testing of complex wave systems.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel scaled experimental setup that preserves wave statistics, facilitating the study of large, complex structures in a controlled environment.

Findings

Miniaturized cavity maintains statistical wave properties of larger cavity

Scaled setup enables testing of complex wave systems in labs

Experimental validation of the Random Coupling Model in scaled structures

Abstract

The Random Coupling Model (RCM), introduced by Zheng, Antonsen and Ott, predicts the statistical properties of waves inside a ray-chaotic enclosure in the semi-classical regime by using Random Matrix Theory, combined with system-specific information. Experiments on single cavities are in general agreement with the predictions of the RCM. It is now desired to test the RCM on more complex structures, such as a cascade or network of coupled cavities, that represent realistic situations, but which are difficult to test due to the large size of the structures of interest. This paper presents a novel experimental setup that replaces a cubic-meter-scale microwave cavity with a miniaturized cavity, scaled down by a factor of 20 in each dimension, operated at a frequency scaled up by a factor of 20 and having wall conductivity appropriately scaled up by a factor of 20. We demonstrate experimentally that the miniaturized cavity maintains the statistical wave properties of the larger cavity. This scaled setup opens the opportunity to study wave properties in large structures such as the floor of an office building, a ship, or an aircraft, in a controlled laboratory setting.