Quantum chaos: a decoherent definition.

Abstract

We show that the rate of increase of von Neumann entropy computed from the reduced density matrix of an open quantum system is an excellent indicator of the dynamical behavior of its classical hamiltonian counterpart. In decohering quantum analogs of systems which exhibit classical hamiltonian chaos entropy production rate quickly tends to a constant which is given by the sum of the positive Lyapunov exponents, and falls off only as the system approaches equilibrium. By contrast, integrable systems tend to have entropy production rate which decreases as $t^{-1}$ well before equilibrium is attained. Thus, behavior of quantum systems in contact with the environment can be used as a test to determine the nature of their hamiltonian evolution.