Quantum accelerator modes near higher-order resonances.

Quantum accelerator modes have been experimentally observed, and theoretically explained, in the dynamics of kicked cold atoms in the presence of gravity, when the kicking period is close to a half-integer multiple of the Talbot time. We generalize the theory to the case when the kicking period is sufficiently close to any rational multiple of the Talbot time, and thus predict new rich families of experimentally observable quantum accelerator modes.

Delocalized and resonant quantum transport in nonlinear generalizations of the kicked rotor model.

We analyze the effects of a nonlinear cubic perturbation on the delta-kicked rotor. We consider two different models, in which the nonlinear term acts either in the position or in the momentum representation. We numerically investigate the modifications induced by the nonlinearity in the quantum transport in both localized and resonant regimes and a comparison between the results for the two models is presented. Analyzing the momentum distributions and the increase of the mean square momentum, we find that the quantum resonances asymptotically are very stable with respect to nonlinear perturbation of the rotor's phase evolution. For an intermittent time regime, the nonlinearity even enhances the resonant quantum transport, leading to superballistic motion.

Effects of a nonlinear perturbation on dynamical tunneling in cold atoms.

We perform a numerical analysis of the effects of a nonlinear perturbation on the quantum dynamics of two models describing noninteracting cold atoms in a standing wave of light with a periodical modulated amplitude A(t). One model is the driven pendulum, recently considered by D.A. Steck, W.H. Oskay, and M.G. Raizen [Science 293, 274 (2001)], and the other is a variant of the well-known kicked rotator model. In absence of the nonlinear perturbation, the system is invariant under some discrete symmetries and quantum dynamical tunneling between symmetric classical islands is found. The presence of nonlinearity destroys tunneling, breaking the symmetries of the system. Finally, further consequences of nonlinearity in the kicked rotator case are considered.

Nonlinearity effects in the kicked oscillator.

The quantum kicked oscillator is known to display a remarkable richness of dynamical behavior, from ballistic spreading to dynamical localization. Here we investigate the effects of a Gross-Pitaevskii nonlinearity on quantum motion, and provide evidence that the qualitative features depend strongly on the parameters of the system.

Stable quantum resonances in atom optics.

A theory for stabilization of quantum resonances by a mechanism similar to one leading to classical resonances in nonlinear systems is presented. It explains recent surprising experimental results, obtained for cold cesium atoms when driven in the presence of gravity, and leads to further predictions. The theory makes use of invariance properties of the system allowing for separation into independent kicked rotor problems. The analysis relies on a fictitious classical limit where the small parameter is not Planck's constant, but rather the detuning from the frequency that is resonant in the absence of gravity.

Spectral properties and anomalous transport in a polygonal billiard.

We analyze a class of polygonal billiards, whose behavior is conjectured to exhibit a variety of interesting dynamical features. Correlation functions are numerically investigated, and in a subclass of billiard tables they give indications about a singular continuous spectral measure. By lifting billiard dynamics we are also able to study transport properties: the (normal or anomalous) diffusive behavior is theoretically connected to a scaling index of the spectral measure; the proposed identity is shown to agree with numerical simulations. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.