Spatial Correlation in Quantum Chaotic Systems with Time-Reversal Symmetry: Theory and Experiment

Abstract

The correlation between the values of wave functions at two different spatial points is examined for chaotic systems with time-reversal symmetry. Employing a supermatrix method, we find that there exist long-range Friedel oscillations of the wave function density for a given eigenstate, although the background wave function density fluctuates strongly. We show that for large fluctuations, once the value of the wave function at one point is known, its spatial dependence becomes highly predictable for increasingly large space around this point. These results are compared with the experimental wave functions obtained from billiard-shaped microwave cavities, and very good agreement is demonstrated.