Local box-counting dimensions of discrete quantum eigenvalue spectra: Analytical connection to quantum spectral statistics.

Two decades ago, Wang and Ong, [Phys. Rev. A 55, 1522 (1997)]10.1103/PhysRevA.55.1522 hypothesized that the local box-counting dimension of a discrete quantum spectrum should depend exclusively on the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution (NNSD) of the spectrum. In this Rapid Communication, we validate their hypothesis by deriving an explicit formula for the local box-counting dimension of a countably-infinite discrete quantum spectrum. This formula expresses the local box-counting dimension of a spectrum in terms of single and double integrals of the NNSD of the spectrum. As applications, we derive an analytical formula for Poisson spectra and closed-form approximations to the local box-counting dimension for spectra having Gaussian orthogonal ensemble (GOE), Gaussian unitary ensemble (GUE), and Gaussian symplectic ensemble (GSE) spacing statistics. In the Poisson and GOE cases, we compare our theoretical formulas with the published numerical data of Wang and Ong and observe excellent agreement between their data and our theory. We also study numerically the local box-counting dimensions of the Riemann zeta function zeros and the alternate levels of GOE spectra, which are often used as numerical models of spectra possessing GUE and GSE spacing statistics, respectively. In each case, the corresponding theoretical formula is found to accurately describe the numerically computed local box-counting dimension.

Gaussian point processes and two-by-two random matrix theory.

The statistics of the multidimensional Gaussian point process are discussed in connection with the spacing statistics of eigenvalues of 2x2 random matrices. We consider the three-dimensional Gaussian point process when two of the coordinates of a point are randomly chosen from a Gaussian distribution having a mean of zero and a variance of sigma;{2}=1 but the third coordinate is chosen from a Gaussian distribution having a variance in the range of 0< or =sigma_{3};{2}< or =1 . The probability density function associated with a random point being at a distance r from the origin is shown to be closely related to the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution of eigenvalues coming from an ensemble of 2x2 matrices defined by the French-Kota-Pandey-Mehta two-matrix model of random matrix theory. An elementary explanation of this result is given.

Wigner surmises and the two-dimensional homogeneous Poisson point process.

We derive a set of identities that relate the higher-order interpoint spacing statistics of the two-dimensional homogeneous Poisson point process to the Wigner surmises for the higher-order spacing distributions of eigenvalues from the three classical random matrix ensembles. We also report a remarkable identity that equates the second-nearest-neighbor spacing statistics of the points of the Poisson process and the nearest-neighbor spacing statistics of complex eigenvalues from Ginibre's ensemble of 2 x 2 complex non-Hermitian random matrices.

Spacing distributions for point processes on a regular fractal.

The homogeneous Poisson point process in Rd (denoted by Pd) is a basic model of stochastic geometry and modern statistical physics. Using ideas from fractal geometry, geometrical statistics, and random matrix theory, we introduce the model of random points on a self-similar fractal as a model of intermediate statistics, in the sense that the interpoint spacing statistics of the model are intermediate between those of P1 and P2 when the fractal dimension is in between 1 and 2, and intermediate between those of P2 and P3 when the fractal dimension is in between 2 and 3, and so on. We also introduce the idea of using a continuous family of such models to interpolate between P1 and P2 and thereby effectuate crossover transitions between P1 statistics and P2 statistics. We first derive the kth-nearest-neighbor spacing distribution for the general model, and then study the interpoint spacing statistics of several realizations of the model involving Sierpinski fractals in R2 and R3. We also study a realization of a continuous interpolation between P1 and P2, in particular a continuous interpolation between a point process on a line and a point process on a plane-filling curve, using the continuous family of self-similar Koch curves in R2. In the latter study, we specifically analyze the second-nearest-neighbor interpoint spacing statistics, which undergo a crossover transition between semi-Poisson and Ginibre statistics.

Poisson-to-Wigner crossover transition in the nearest-neighbor statistics of random points on fractals.

We show that the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution for a model that consists of random points uniformly distributed on a self-similar fractal is the Brody distribution of random matrix theory. In the usual context of Hamiltonian systems, the Brody parameter does not have a definite physical meaning, but in the model considered here, the Brody parameter is actually the fractal dimension. Exploiting this result, we introduce a new model for a crossover transition between Poisson and Wigner statistics: random points on a continuous family of self-similar curves with fractal dimensions between 1 and 2. The implications to quantum chaos are discussed, and a connection to conservative classical chaos is introduced.