Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-theoretical-physics-ii-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/paper-1/1/e/solution
Past exam of the theoretical physics II course of the University of Cambridge 2016 Paper 1 1 e Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
On periodic ring states the angular-momentum index is an integer. At the stated resonance,so is the identity on every orbital state. After steps from the normalized ground state,Its phase varies in space but its position probability density remains uniform. Periodicity permits integration by parts, givingConsequentlyEquivalently, the angular-momentum probabilities are , with . The mean angular momentum remains zero while its variance grows as . This quantum resonance of the kicked rotor gives coherent ballistic energy growth. The Bessel second-moment identity connects the momentum spreading to that quadratic energy law; an incoherent random walk would instead give linear energy growth.
Original resonant kicked-rotor calculation: angular-momentum probabilities and the quadratic kinetic-energy law
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