Quantum recurrences in the kicked top

Abstract

The correspondence principle plays an important role in understanding the emergence of classical chaos from an underlying quantum mechanics. Here we present an infinite family of quantum dynamics that never resembles the analogous classical chaotic dynamics irrespective of dimension. These take the form of stroboscopic unitary evolutions in the quantum kicked top that act as the identity after a finite number of kicks. Because these state-independent temporal periodicities are present in all dimensions, their existence represents a universal violation of the correspondence principle. We further discuss the relationship of these periodicities with the quantum kicked rotor, in particular the phenomenon of quantum anti-resonance.