Excited Eigenstates and Strength Functions for Isolated Systems of Interacting Particles

Abstract

Eigenstates in finite systems such as nuclei, atoms, atomic clusters and quantum dots with few excited particles are chaotic superpositions of shell model basis states. We study criterion for the equilibrium distribution of basis components (ergodicity, or Quantum Chaos), effects of level density variation and transition from the Breit-Wigner to the Gaussian shape of eigenstates and strength functions. In the model of $n$ interacting particles distributed over $m$ orbitals, the shape is given by the Breit-Wigner function with the width in the form of gaussian dependence on energy.