Center for experimental and theoretical studies in quantum chaos and related areas (etc)

• Grant number: 99/11436-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2000
• End date: September 30, 2003
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - General Physics
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio Porto Pato
• Grantee: Mauricio Porto Pato
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The main purpose of this project is to investigate theoretically, and experimentally, many aspects of quantum chaos. We shall study the vibrations of classical systems whose eigenmodes simulate the eigenstates of some corresponding quantum system. A fundamental part of this program is the creation of a laboratory for measuring the resonance frequencies of the acoustic waves excited in blocks or plates of various materials (aluminum, quartz, ceramic, etc.). Acoustic resonators, due to the high quality of data provided by them, are ideal experimental devices for testing many of the existing predictions about spectra and wave functions. Topics that will be investigated within this context are: intermediate statistics for random matrix theory and its classical analog, symmetry breaking in complex systems, chaotic acoustic billiards, universality in parametric level motion, chaos in nuclei, and Anderson localization. (AU)