Quantum versus classical phase-locking transition in a driven-chirped   oscillator
  Classical and quantum-mechanical phase locking transition in a nonlinear oscillator driven by a chirped frequency perturbation is discussed. Different limits are analyzed in terms of the dimensionless parameters $% P_{1}=\epsilon /\sqrt{2m\hbar \omega_{0}\alpha}$ and $P_{2}=(3\hbar \beta)/(4m\sqrt{\alpha})$ ($\epsilon,$ $\alpha,$ $\beta$ and $\omega_{0}$ being the driving amplitude, the frequency chirp rate, the nonlinearity parameter and the linear frequency of the oscillator). It is shown that for $P_{2}\ll P_{1}+1$, the passage through the linear resonance for $P_{1}$ above a threshold yields classical autoresonance (AR) in the system, even when starting in a quantum ground state. In contrast, for $% P_{2}\gg P_{1}+1$, the transition involves quantum-mechanical energy ladder climbing (LC). The threshold for the phase-locking transition and its width in $P_{1}$ in both AR and LC limits are calculated. The theoretical results are tested by solving the Schrodinger equation in the energy basis and illustrated via the Wigner function in phase space. 
I. Barth, L. Friedland, O. Gat, and A.G. Shagalov
quant-ph cond-mat.supr-con physics.atom-ph physics.plasm-ph