arXiv subjects

Giulio Casati

Publications and source records attributed to Giulio Casati.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Quantum Kicked Rotor: A Paradigm of Quantum Chaos. Foundational aspects and new perspectives

The kicked rotor provides a simple yet powerful model for introducing many of the central concepts of classical and quantum chaos. Despite its apparent simplicity, it exhibits rich dynamical behavior and has found applications across a wide range of fields, including atomic and optical physics, condensed matter physics, and emerging quantum technologies. This chapter begins by exploring foundational ideas using the kicked rotor as a unifying framework. We first discuss the transition from regular to chaotic motion in the classical system, and then introduce key quantum phenomena such as dynamical localization and quantum resonances. Special attention is devoted to the emergence of characteristic time scales and their role in the quantum-classical correspondence. To make these ideas more concrete, we also provide a brief overview of experimental realizations of the kicked rotor and its variants, illustrating how theoretical concepts are implemented in practice. In the second part of the chapter, we guide the reader toward more recent and advanced developments. Topics include near-resonant dynamics, topological features of kicked systems, the emergence of quantum dynamical phases inferred from classical transport properties, and extensions to non-Hermitian physics. We conclude with a discussion of open problems and future perspectives, outlining directions in which the kicked rotor continues to offer valuable insights.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum vs Classical Thermal Transport at Low Temperatures

This work aims to understand how quantum mechanics affects heat transport at low temperatures. In the classical setting, by considering a simple paradigmatic model, our simulations reveal the emergence of Negative Differential Thermal Resistance (NDTR): paradoxically, increasing the temperature bias by lowering the cold bath temperature reduces the steady-state heat current. In sharp contrast, the quantum version of the model, treated via a Lindblad master equation, exhibits no NDTR: the heat current increases monotonically with thermal bias. This marked divergence highlights the fundamental role of quantum effects in low-temperature thermal transport and underscores the need to reconsider classical predictions when designing and optimizing nanoscale thermal devices.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Local integrability breaking and exponential localization of leading Lyapunov vectors

We study integrability breaking and transport in a discrete space-time lattice with a local integrability breaking perturbation. We find a singular distribution of the Lyapunov spectrum where the majority of Lyapunov exponents vanish in the thermodynamic limit. The sub-extensive sequence of nonzero exponents, converging in the thermodynamic limit, correspond to Lyapunov vectors that are exponentially localized with localization lengths proportional to inverse Lyapunov exponents. Moreover, we investigate the transport behavior of the system by considering the spin-spin and current-current spatio-temporal correlation functions. Our results indicate that the overall transport behavior, similarly as in the purely integrable case, conforms to Kardar-Parisi-Zhang scaling in the thermodynamic limit and at vanishing magnetization. The same dynamical exponent $z=3/2$ governs the effect of local perturbation spreading in the bulk.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2023

Rectification of heat current in Corbino geometry

We prove analytically the ballistic thermal rectification effect (BTRE) in the Corbino disk characterized by an annular shape. We derive the thermal rectification efficiency (RE) and show that it can be expressed as the product of two independent functions, the first dependent on the temperatures of the heat baths and the second on the system's geometry. It follows that a perfect BTRE can be reached with the increase of the ratios of the heat baths' temperatures and of the radius of the outer edge to the inner edge of the disk. We also show that, by introducing a potential barrier into the Corbino disk, the RE can be greatly improved. Quite remarkably, by an appropriate choice of parameters, the thermal diode effect can be reversed. Our results are robust under variation of the Corbino geometry, which may provide a novel and flexible route to manipulate the heat flow at the nanoscale.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Quantum computation of complex systems

This chapter is a short pedagogical introduction to the use of quantum logic for the simulation of complex quantum systems, including a simulation example on actual quantum hardware.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Autonomous Circular Heat Engine

A dynamical model of a highly efficient heat engine is proposed, where an applied temperature difference maintains the motion of particles around the circuit consisting of two asymmetric narrow channels, in one of which the current flows against the applied thermodynamic forces. Numerical simulations and linear-response analysis suggest that, in the absence of frictional losses, the Carnot efficiency can be achieved in the thermodynamic limit.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Classical physics and blackbody radiation

We investigate the properties of the blackbody spectrum by direct numerical solution of the classical equations of motion of a one-dimensional model that contains the essential general features of the field-matter interaction. Our results, which do not rely on any statistical assumption, show that the classical blackbody spectrum exhibits remarkable properties: (i) a quasistationary state characterized by scaling properties, (ii) consistency with the Stefan-Boltzmann law, and (iii) a high-frequency cutoff. Our work is a preliminary step in the understanding of statistical properties of infinite dimensional systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Quantum chaos in triangular billiards

We present an extensive numerical study of spectral statistics and eigenfunctions of quantized triangular billiards. We compute two million consecutive eigenvalues for six representative cases of triangular billiards, three with generic angles with irrational ratios with $π$, whose classical dynamics is presumably mixing, and three with exactly one angle rational with $π$, which are presumably only weakly mixing or even only non-ergodic in case of right-triangles. We find excellent agreement of short and long range spectral statistics with the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of random matrix theory for the most irrational generic triangle, while the other cases show small but significant deviations which are attributed either to scarring or super-scarring mechanism. This result, which extends the quantum chaos conjecture to systems with dynamical mixing in the absence of hard (Lyapunov) chaos, has been corroborated by analysing distributions of phase-space localisation measures of eigenstates and inspecting the structure of characteristic typical and atypical eigenfunctions.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2022

Statistical and dynamical properties of the quantum triangle map

We study the statistical and dynamical properties of the quantum triangle map, whose classical counterpart can exhibit ergodic and mixing dynamics, but is never chaotic. Numerical results show that ergodicity is a sufficient condition for spectrum and eigenfunctions to follow the prediction of Random Matrix Theory, even though the underlying classical dynamics is not chaotic. On the other hand, dynamical quantities such as the out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) and the number of harmonics, exhibit a growth rate vanishing in the semiclassical limit, in agreement with the fact that classical dynamics has zero Lyapunov exponent. Our finding show that, while spectral statistics can be used to detect ergodicity, OTOC and number of harmonics are diagnostics of chaos.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2021

From ETH to algebraic relaxation of OTOCs in systems with conserved quantities

The relaxation of out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs) has been studied as a mean to characterize the scrambling properties of a quantum system. We show that the presence of local conserved quantities typically results in, at the fastest, an algebraic relaxation of the OTOC provided (i) the dynamics is local and (ii) the system follows the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis. Our result relies on the algebraic scaling of the infinite-time value of OTOCs with system size, which is typical in thermalizing systems with local conserved quantities, and on the existence of finite speed of propagation of correlations for finite-range-interaction systems. We show that time-independence of the Hamiltonian is not necessary as the above conditions (i) and (ii) can occur in time-dependent systems, both periodic or aperiodic. We also remark that our result can be extended to systems with power-law interactions.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2020

Quantum Chaos and the Correspondence Principle

The correspondence principle is a cornerstone in the entire construction of quantum mechanics. This principle has been recently challenged by the observation of an early-time exponential increase of the out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) in classically non-chaotic systems [E.B. Rozenbaum et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 014101 (2020)], Here we show that the correspondence principle is restored after a proper treatment of the singular points. Furthermore our results show that the OTOC maintains its role as a diagnostic of chaotic dynamics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Power-efficiency-fluctuations trade-off in steady-state heat engines: The role of interactions

We consider the quality factor Q, which quantifies the trade-off between power, efficiency, and fluctuations in steady-state heat engines modeled by dynamical systems. We show that the nonlinear scattering theory, both in classical and quantum mechanics, sets the bound Q=3/8 when approaching the Carnot efficiency. On the other hand, interacting, nonintegrable and momentum-conserving systems can achieve the value Q=1/2, which is the universal upper bound in linear response. This result shows that interactions are necessary to achieve the optimal performance of a steady-state heat engine.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2020

Complexity of quantum motion and quantum-classical correspondence: A phase-space approach

We discuss the connection between the out-of-time-ordered correlator and the number of harmonics of the phase-space Wigner distribution function. In particular, we show that both quantities grow exponentially for chaotic dynamics, with a rate determined by the largest Lyapunov exponent of the underlying classical dynamics, and algebraically -- linearly or quadratically -- for integrable dynamics. It is then possible to use such quantities to detect in the time domain the integrability to chaos crossover in many-body quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Inverse Currents in Hamiltonian Coupled Transport

The occurrence of an inverse current, where the sign of the induced current is opposite to the applied force, is a highly counterintuitive phenomenon. We show that inverse currents in coupled transport (ICC) of energy and particle can occur in a one-dimensional interacting Hamiltonian system when its equilibrium state is perturbed by coupled thermodynamic forces. This seemingly paradoxical result is possible due to the self-organization occurring in the system in response to the applied forces.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Few Islands Approximation of Hamiltonian System with divided Phase Space

It is well known that typical Hamiltonian systems have divided phase space consisting of regions with regular dynamics on KAM tori and region(s) with chaotic dynamics called chaotic sea(s). This complex structure makes rigorous analysis of such systems virtually impossible and significantly complicates numerical exploration of their dynamical properties. In this paper we outline a new approach for the analysis of Hamiltonian systems with divided phase space. These systems are approximated by a sequence of Hamiltonian systems having an increasing (but finite) number of KAM islands. The islands in the approximating systems are sub-islands of the islands in the initial system with an infinite number of KAM-islands. We apply this approach to two-dimensional billiards and demonstrate that it works. In particular the statistical characteristics of the approximating systems tend to the ones for the whole system when the number of islands in the approximating systems grows. Therefore our approach opens up a new way for numerical and analytical studies of the dynamics of Hamiltonian systems with divided phase space.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2019

Heat current rectification in segmented XXZ chains

We study the rectification of heat current in an XXZ chain segmented in two parts. We model the effect of the environment with Lindblad heat baths. We show that, in our system, rectification is large for strong interactions in half of the chain and if one bath is at cold enough temperature. For the numerically accessible chain lengths, we observe that the rectification increases with the system size. We gain insight in the rectification mechanism by studying two-time correlations in the steady state. The presence of interactions also induces a strong nonlinear response to the temperature difference, resulting in superlinear and negative differential conductance regimes.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Onsager symmetry for systems with broken time-reversal symmetry

We provide numerical evidence that the Onsager symmetry remains valid for systems subject to a spatially dependent magnetic field, in spite of the broken time-reversal symmetry. In addition, for the simplest case in which the field strength varies only in one direction, we analytically derive the result. For the generic case, a qualitative explanation is provided.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2018

Thermodynamic bound on heat to power conversion

In systems described by the scattering theory, there is an upper bound, lower than Carnot, on the efficiency of steady-state heat to work conversion at a given output power. We show that interacting systems can overcome such bound and saturate, in the thermodynamic limit, the much more favorable linear-response bound. This result is rooted in the possibility for interacting systems to achieve the Carnot efficiency at the thermodynamic limit without delta-energy filtering, so that large efficiencies can be obtained without greatly reducing power.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗