Random quantum states: recent developments and applications

We review the methods and use of random quantum states with particular emphasis on recent theoretical developments and applications in various fields. The guiding principle of the review is the idea that random quantum states can be understood as classical probability distributions in the Hilbert space of the associated quantum system. We show how this central concept connects questions of physical interest that cover different fields such as quantum statistical physics, quantum chaos, mesoscopic systems of both non-interacting and interacting particles, including superconducting and spin–orbit phenomena, and stochastic Schrödinger equations describing open quantum systems.