The effect of measurement on the quantum features of a chaotic system

We investigate the quantum dynamics of a periodically kicked nonlinear spin system which exhibits regular and chaotic dynamics in the classical regime. The quantum behaviour is characterised by the evolving eigenvalue distributions for the angular momentum components and the features, including recurrences in the quantum means and the presence of quantum tunneling, are discussed. We employ the evolution operator eigenvalue distribution to prove that coherent quantum tunneling occurs between the fixed points in the regular regions of phase space. Continual quantum measurement is included in the model: the classical dynamics are unchanged but a destruction of coherences occurs in the quantum system. Recurrences in the means are destroyed and quantum tunneling is suppressed by measurement, a manifestation of the quantum Zeno effect.