FACULTY
Eric J. Heller
Professor of Chemistry and of Physics
PhD 1973, Harvard University
Eric Heller's research group focuses on few body quantum mechanics, scattering theory and quantum chaos. Recurrent but not universal themes are semiclassical approximations, classical nonlinear dynamics and time-dependent quantum mechanics. Recent progress in semiclassical methods has allowed a wide range of new quantum problems to be understood in terms of classical mechanics, greatly aiding physical insight. At the other end of the spectrum, the extreme quantum limit (e.g. ultracold collisions) have come to the forefront and are also group interests.
Current investigations include cold atom waveguides, scattering theory of quantum dots and electron transport in semiconductor heterostructures, surface state electron "quantum corral" scattering from defects and adsorbed atoms on metal surfaces, localization theory of eigenstates, semiclassical theory of tunneling and diffraction, semiclassical approaches to many body systems, ocean wave physics, and quantum correspondence to classical chaos (scars, spectra, wavefunctions, dynamics).
- A. Wasserman, N.T. Maitra, and E.J. Heller, "Investigating interaction-induced chaos using time-dependent density functional theory", Phys. Rev. A 77, 042503 (2008).
- E.J. Heller, L. Kaplan, and F. Pollmann, "Inflationary dynamics for matrix eigenvalue problems", Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 105, 7631-7635 (2008).
- J.Y. Vaishnav, J.D. Walls, M. Apratim, and E.J. Heller, "Scattering from Periodic Gratings: Guiding Waves with Atom Walls", Phys. Rev. A 76, 013620 (2007).
- E.J. Heller and B. Landry, "Statistical Properties of Many Particle Eigenfunctions", J. Phys. A 40 (31), 9259-9274 (2007).
- J. Walls and E.J. Heller, "Spin-orbit coupling induced interference in quantum corrals", Nanoletters 7, 3377 -3382 (2007).