Chaos and Statistical Relaxation in Quantum Systems of Interacting Particles

We study the transition to chaos and the emergence of statistical relaxation in isolated dynamical quantum systems of interacting particles. Our approach is based on the concept of delocalization of the eigenstates in the energy shell, controlled by the Gaussian form of the strength function. We show that, although the fluctuations of the energy levels in integrable and nonintegrable systems are different, the global properties of the eigenstates are quite similar, provided the interaction between particles exceeds some critical value. In this case, the statistical relaxation of the systems is comparable, irrespective of whether or not they are integrable. The numerical data for the quench dynamics manifest excellent agreement with analytical predictions of the theory developed for systems of two-body interactions with a completely random character.