Beyond Nearest-Neighbor Spacing Distributions: A New Indicator for Core-Induced Chaos

H. Held; W. Schweizer

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.1160

Beyond Nearest-Neighbor Spacing Distributions: A New Indicator for Core-Induced Chaos

H. Held and W. Schweizer

Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 1160 – Published 7 February 2000

Abstract

We present a method for the statistical analysis of quantum spectra which goes beyond the standard nearest-neighbor spacing distribution. The method exploits a peculiar correlation of oscillator strength and level spacing distributions. For diamagnetic Rydberg spectra we demonstrate that core-induced chaos and generic chaos can be distinguished in an experimentally accessible regime far below the semiclassical limit and with already a few hundred lines per spectrum. We present two hypotheses for a generalization of our findings.

Received 30 June 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.1160

Authors & Affiliations

H. Held^*

Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720

W. Schweizer

Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Abteilung Theoretische Astrophysik, Universität Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany

^*Corresponding author. Present address: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, P.O. Box 60 12 03, D-14412 Potsdam, Germany.Email address: held@pik-potsdam.de