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Non-dispersive wave packets in periodically driven quantum systems

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A. Buchleitner et al. / Physics Reports 368 (2002) 409–547 433<br />

Action I<br />

∆ I<br />

I=I 1<br />

Resonance island<br />

0 1 2<br />

θ/π<br />

Fig. 8. Isovalues of the Hamiltonian Hpend of a pendulum <strong>in</strong> a gravitational eld. This Hamiltonian is a good approximation<br />

for the motion of a <strong>periodically</strong> <strong>driven</strong> system when the driv<strong>in</strong>g frequency is resonant with the <strong>in</strong>ternal frequency of the<br />

system. The stable equilibrium po<strong>in</strong>t of the pendulum is surrounded by an island of librational motion (shaded region).<br />

This de nes the resonance island of the <strong>periodically</strong> <strong>driven</strong> system, where the <strong>in</strong>ternal motion is locked on the external<br />

driv<strong>in</strong>g. This non-l<strong>in</strong>ear phase-lock<strong>in</strong>g phenomenon is essential for the existence of non-<strong>dispersive</strong> <strong>wave</strong> <strong>packets</strong>.<br />

Consistently at lowest order <strong>in</strong> , it is not necessary to take <strong>in</strong>to account the dependence of<br />

V1 on Î.<br />

As already anticipated by the label, Hpend de ned <strong>in</strong> Eq. (66) describes a usual, one-dimensional<br />

pendulum: ˆ represents the angle of the pendulum with the vertical axis, Î − Î 1 its angular velocity,<br />

1=H ′′<br />

0 (Î 1) its momentum of <strong>in</strong>ertia and V1(Î 1) the gravitational eld. This equivalence of the secular<br />

Hamilton function with that of a pendulum, <strong>in</strong> the vic<strong>in</strong>ity of the resonant action Î 1, is extremely<br />

useful to ga<strong>in</strong> some physical <strong>in</strong>sight <strong>in</strong> the dynamics of any Hamiltonian system close to a resonance.<br />

In particular, it will render our analysis of non-<strong>dispersive</strong> <strong>wave</strong> <strong>packets</strong> rather simple.<br />

Fig. 8 shows the isovalue l<strong>in</strong>es of Hpend <strong>in</strong> the (Î; ˆ ) plane, i.e., the classical phase space trajectories<br />

<strong>in</strong> the presence of the resonant perturbation. In the absence of the resonant perturbation,<br />

these should be horizontal straight l<strong>in</strong>es at constant Î. We observe that the e ect of the resonant<br />

perturbation is ma<strong>in</strong>ly to create a new structure, called the “resonance island”, located around the<br />

resonant action Î 1.<br />

To characterize this structure, let us exam<strong>in</strong>e the xed po<strong>in</strong>ts of Hamiltonian (66). They are easily<br />

calculated (impos<strong>in</strong>g 9Hpend=9Î = 9Hpend=9 ˆ = 0), and located at<br />

and<br />

Î = Î 1; ˆ = 0 with energy H0(Î 1) − !Î 1 + V1(Î 1) (68)<br />

Î = Î 1; ˆ = with energy H0(Î 1) − !Î 1 − V1(Î 1) ; (69)<br />

respectively.<br />

If H ′′<br />

0 (Î 1) (and thus the “k<strong>in</strong>etic energy” part <strong>in</strong> Hpend) is positive, the m<strong>in</strong>imum of the potential<br />

V1(Î 1) cos ˆ corresponds to a global m<strong>in</strong>imum of Hpend, and thus to a stable equilibrium po<strong>in</strong>t. The<br />

maximum of V1(Î 1) cos ˆ is a saddle po<strong>in</strong>t of Hpend, and thus represents an unstable equilibrium<br />

po<strong>in</strong>t, as the standard <strong>in</strong>tuition suggests. For H ′′<br />

0 (Î 1) ¡ 0 the situation is reversed—and less <strong>in</strong>tuitive

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