Statistics of finite-time Lyapunov exponents in a random time-dependent potential

Abstract

The sensitivity of trajectories over finite time intervals t to perturbations of the initial conditions can be associated with a finite-time Lyapunov exponent lambda, obtained from the elements M_{ij} of the stability matrix M. For globally chaotic dynamics lambda tends to a unique value (the usual Lyapunov exponent lambda_infty) as t is sent to infinity, but for finite t it depends on the initial conditions of the trajectory and can be considered as a statistical quantity. We compute for a particle moving in a random time-dependent potential how the distribution function P(lambda;t) approaches the limiting distribution P(lambda;infty)=delta(lambda-lambda_infty). Our method also applies to the tail of the distribution, which determines the growth rates of positive moments of M_{ij}. The results are also applicable to the problem of wave-function localization in a disordered one-dimensional potential.