We show that the recently introduced operator fidelity metric provides a natural tool to investigate the crossover to quantum chaotic behavior. This metric is an information-theoretic measure of the global stability of a unitary evolution against perturbations. We use random matrix theory arguments to conjecture that the operator fidelity metric can be used to discriminate phases with regular behavior from quantum chaotic ones. A numerical study of the onset of chaotic in the Dicke model is given in order to support the conjecture.

• Received 6 March 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.81.017203