Reversible Destruction of Dynamical Localization

Hans Lignier (1, 2) , Julien Chabé (1, 2) , Dominique Delande (3) , Jean Claude Garreau (1, 2) , Pascal Szriftgiser (1, 2)

1 PhLAM - Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, Atomes et Molécules - UMR 8523
2 CERLA - Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Lasers et Applications
3 LKB (Jussieu) - Laboratoire Kastler Brossel

Dynamical localization is a localization phenomenon taking place, for example, in the quantum periodically-driven kicked rotor. It is due to subtle quantum destructive interferences and is thus of intrinsic quantum origin. It has been shown that deviation from strict periodicity in the driving rapidly destroys dynamical localization. We report experimental results showing that this destruction is partially reversible when the deterministic perturbation that destroyed it is slowly reversed. We also provide an explanation for the partial character of the reversibility.

Mots clés: dynamical localization; kicked rotor; time reversibility; atom optics; laser cooling; Quantum chaos

Domaines: Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]; Physique Quantique [quant-ph]; Autre [cond-mat.other]; Dynamique Chaotique [nlin.CD]

Hans Lignier, Julien Chabé, Dominique Delande, Jean Claude Garreau, Pascal Szriftgiser. Reversible Destruction of Dynamical Localization. Physical Review Letters, 2005, 95, pp.234101. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.234101⟩. ⟨hal-00007729⟩