Thursday's seminar

[Cond.Matt. & Stat.Mech.Section]

SEMINAR on   Disorder and strong electron correlations





Thursday, 12 November      -  11:00 a.m.





Seminar Room,  Leonardo Building - first floor



  Vincent JOSSE     ( Institut d'Optique, Palaiseau )



"Anderson localization of   matter-waves in laser speckles"



Abstract



Predicted in 1958 by P. W. Anderson for electronic waves and latter  
recognized as an ubiquitous phenomenon in wave physics, the Anderson  
localization effect has prompted an intense experimental and  
theoretical activity.   Since the 90’s, such exponential localization  
effects have been reported in different types of waves (light waves,  
microwaves, sound waves…) and were directly observed with matter-waves  
very recently [1,2].



I will present in this seminar the scheme realized in Palaiseau where  
the propagation of a Bose Einstein condensate along a one-dimensional  
waveguide is stopped in presence of a weak disorder.  A stationary  
state is reached and the emblematic signature of AL (e.g. the  
exponential decay in the tails) is directly observed by imaging.  The  
disorder potential is created by laser speckle, whose characteristics  
are well controlled.  Such control enables a good agreement with  
theoretical predictions [3].  This experiment is thus very promising  
in view of future extensions of the scheme to higher dimensions (2D or  
3D) or in the presence of interactions.



[1]  J. Billy et al. Nature 453 p. 891 (2008)

[2]  G. Roati et al. Nature 453 p. 895 (2008)

[3]  L. Sanchez-Palencia et al. Phys. Rev. Lett 98, 210401 (2007)