Boltzmann-Loschmidt dispute reloaded quantum 150 years later

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that quantum chaos in cold atoms can be perfectly reversed in time, contrasting classical irreversibility, thus providing new insights into the Boltzmann-Loschmidt dispute.

Contribution

It analytically and numerically shows quantum time reversibility in chaotic systems, highlighting a fundamental difference from classical behavior.

Findings

Quantum chaos diffusion can be inverted with up to 100% efficiency.

Classical evolution breaks time reversibility due to exponential error growth.

Experimental techniques can be used to explore quantum versus classical irreversibility.

Abstract

The Boltzmann-Loschmidt dispute of 1876 questioned the possibility of a statistical irreversible description by time reversible classical equations of motion of atoms. Here we show analytically and numerically that the quantum chaos diffusion of cold atoms, or ions, in a harmonic trap and pulsed optical lattice can be inverted back in time with up to 100\% efficiency. This is in sharp contrast to classical evolution where exponentially small errors break time reversibility. We argue that the existing experimental skills allow highlighting the Boltzmann-Loschmidt dispute from a quantum perspective.