Spectral fluctuations of billiards with mixed dynamics: from time series to superstatistics

Abstract

A statistical analysis of the eigenfrequencies of two sets of superconducting microwave billiards, one with mushroom-like shape and the other from the familiy of the Limacon billiards, is presented. These billiards have mixed regular-chaotic dynamics but different structures in their classical phase spaces. The spectrum of each billiard is represented as a time series where the level order plays the role of time. Two most important findings follow from the time-series analysis. First, the spectra can be characterized by two distinct relaxation lengths. This is a prerequisite for the validity of the superstatistical approach which is based on the folding of two distribution functions. Second, the shape of the resulting probability density function of the so-called superstatistical parameter is reasonably approximated by an inverse chi-square distribution. This distribution is used to compute nearest-neighbor spacing distributions and compare them with those of the resonance frequencies of billiards with mixed dynamics within the framework of superstatistics. The obtained spacing distribution is found to present a good description of the experimental ones and is of the same or even better quality as a number of other spacing distributions, including the one from Berry and Robnik. However, in contrast to other approaches towards a theoretical description of spectral properties of systems with mixed dynamics, superstatistics also provides a description of properties of the eigenfunctions. Indeed, the inverse chi-square parameter distribution is found suitable for the analysis of experimental resonance strengths in the Limacon billiards within the framework of superstatistics.