Ping Gao, Hong Liu
In this Letter, we study pole skipping in nonmaximally quantum chaotic systems. Using Rindler conformal field theories and the large-q Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev chain as illustrative examples, we argue that the pole skipping points of few-body operators organize into trajectories in the complex frequency-momentum plane, with the leading trajectory encoding the quantum Lyapunov exponent. We further propose that these trajectories admit a natural interpretation as Regge trajectories of stringy excitations in a dual stringy black-hole geometry. From this perspective, pole skipping for an individual operator can be viewed as tracking the stringy horizon through the response of a single excitation. Our results suggest that pole skipping reflects intrinsic properties of quantum chaotic systems and may be deeply connected to the structure of horizons in the stringy regime.