PHYS/ASTR Colloquium: "The Search for a Quantum Theory of Chaos" - Dr. Alexandra Miller (Assoc. Prof., Sonoma State)

The Search for a Quantum Theory of Chaos

Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect? If a butterfly flaps its wings, then that could potentially cause a tornado to form at some point in the future. This effect comes from Chaos Theory and it is pointing at one aspect of chaos: sensitive dependence on initial conditions. The butterfly wing flaps only alter the initial weather conditions slightly, but that very small change might lead to a very different future. This sensitivity of initial conditions is only one signature of Classical Chaos. In this talk, I will start by reviewing some of the key elements of Classical Chaos. This will allow us to ask the questions: What might chaos look like in a quantum system? What mathematical signatures might there be? We currently have a solid understanding of Classical Chaos, but we have only scratched the surface of finding a Quantum Theory of Chaos.