Quantum and classical chaos for a single trapped ion

In this paper we investigate the quantum and classical dynamics of a single trapped ion subject to nonlinear kicks derived from a periodic sequence of Gaussian laser pulses. We show that the classical system exhibits diffusive growth in the energy, or “heating,” while quantum mechanics suppresses this heating. This system may be realized in current single trapped-ion experiments with the addition of near-field optics to introduce tightly focused laser pulses into the trap.