Quantum kicked harmonic oscillator in contact with a heat bath M. A

Abstract

We consider the quantum harmonic oscillator in contact with a finite-temperature bath, modeled by the Caldeira-Leggett master equation. Applying periodic kicks to the oscillator, we study the system in different dynamical regimes between classical integrability and chaos, on the one hand, and ballistic or diffusive energy absorption, on the other. We then investigate the influence of the heat bath on the oscillator in each case. Phase-space techniques allow us to simulate the evolution of the system efficiently. In this way, we calculate high-resolution Wigner functions at long times, where the system approaches a quasistationary cyclic evolution. Thereby, we perform an accurate study of the thermodynamic properties of a nonintegrable, quantum chaotic system in contact with a heat bath at finite temperature. In particular, we find that the heat transfer between harmonic oscillator and heat bath is governed by Fourier’s law.