New family of unitary random matrices

We consider an exactly solvable random matrix model related to the random transfer matrix model for disordered conductors. In the conventional random matrix models the spacing distribution of nearest neighbor eigenvalues, when expressed in units of average spacing, has a universal behavior known generally as the Wigner distribution. In contrast, our model has a single parameter, as a function of which the spacing distribution crosses over from a Wigner to a distribution which is increasingly more Poisson-like, a feature common to a wide variety of physical systems including disorder and chaos.