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arXiv:cond-mat/0702183 · New Journal of Physics

Coherent matter wave transport in speckle potentials

R. C. Kuhn, Olivier Sigwarth, Christian Miniatura, Dominique Delande, Cord Axel Müller

Published Jun 8, 2007• 153 citations
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Abstract

This paper studies multiple scattering of matter waves by a disordered optical potential in two and in three dimensions. We calculate fundamental transport quantities such as the scattering mean free path ℓ s , the Boltzmann transport mean free path ℓ B , and the Boltzmann diffusion constant D B , using a diagrammatic Green functions approach in the weak-scattering regime. Coherent multiple scattering induces interference corrections known as weak localization which entail a reduced diffusion constant. We derive the corresponding expressions for matter wave transport in a correlated speckle potential and provide the relevant parameter values for a possible experimental study of this coherent transport regime, including the critical crossover to the regime of strong or Anderson localization.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/9/6/161

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This paper studies multiple scattering of matter waves by a disordered optical potential in two and in three dimensions. We calculate fundamental transport quantities such as the scattering mean free path ℓ s , the Boltzmann transport mean free path ℓ B , and the Boltzmann diffusion constant D B , using a diagrammatic Green functions approach in the weak-scattering regime. Coherent multiple scattering induces interference corrections known as weak localization which entail a reduced diffusion constant. We derive the corresponding expressions for matter wave transport in a correlated speckle potential and provide the relevant parameter values for a possible experimental study of this coherent transport regime, including the critical crossover to the regime of strong or Anderson localization.
The development of atom cooling and trapping techniques and the ability to load optical lattices or disordered potentials with Bose-Einstein condensates or degenerate Fermi gases has opened a whole field of research around the strong localization of matter waves. In this theoretical work we study the coherent transport of matter waves evolving in disordered optical potentials (speckle). The influence of correlated disorder is first studied numerically in the framework of the Anderson model. Subsequently, a self-consistent diagrammatic calculation allows us to determine analytically the basic transport parameters in the regime of weak disorder: mean free path, transport mean free path, diffusion constant, localization length. A crucial quantity for these analytical calculations is the spatial correlation function of speckle fluctuations. It determines the degree of anisotropy of a scattering event. We consider in particular the transition from weak localization to strong localization. In this case the diffusion constant of matter waves decreases and approaches zero at the threshold of strong localization. We calculate the renormalization of the diffusion constant due to the interference of matter waves by explicitly considering the correlation of fluctuations of the disordered potential.
We consider ultracold atoms in 2D disordered optical potentials and calculate microscopic quantities characterizing matter wave quantum transport in the noninteracting regime. We derive the diffusion constant as a function of all relevant microscopic parameters and show that coherent multiple scattering induces significant weak localization effects. In particular, we find that even the strong localization regime is accessible with current experimental techniques and calculate the corresponding localization length.
We report on an extensive study of the elastic scattering time τ_{s} of matter waves in optical disordered potentials. Using direct experimental measurements, numerical simulations, and comparison with the first-order Born approximation based on the knowledge of the disorder properties, we explore the behavior of τ_{s} over more than 3 orders of magnitude, ranging from the weak to the strong scattering regime. We study in detail the location of the crossover and, as a main result, we reveal the strong influence of the disorder statistics, especially on the relevance of the widely used Ioffe-Regel-like criterion kl_{s}∼1. While it is found to be relevant for Gaussian-distributed disordered potentials, we observe significant deviations for laser speckle disorders that are commonly used with ultracold atoms. Our results are crucial for connecting experimental investigation of complex transport phenomena, such as Anderson localization, to microscopic theories.
The macroscopic transport properties in a disordered potential, namely diffusion and weak/strong localization, closely depend on the microscopic and statistical properties of the disorder itself.This dependence is rich in counter-intuitive consequences.It can be particularly exploited in matter wave experiments, where the disordered potential can be tailored and controlled, and anisotropies are naturally present.In this work, we apply a perturbative microscopic transport theory and the self-consistent theory of Anderson localization to study the transport properties of ultracold atoms in anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) speckle potentials.In particular, we discuss the anisotropy of single-scattering, diffusion and localization.We also calculate disorder-induced shift of the energy states and propose a method to include it, which amounts to renormalizing energies in the standard on-shell approximation.We show that the renormalization of energies strongly affects the prediction for the 3D localization threshold (mobility edge).We illustrate the theoretical findings with examples which are relevant for current matter wave experiments, where the disorder is created with laser speckle.This paper provides a guideline for future experiments aiming at the precise location of the 3D mobility edge and study of anisotropic diffusion and localization effects in 2D and 3D.
Abstract. We develop a diagrammatic scattering theory for interacting bosons in a three-dimensional, weakly disordered potential. Based on a microscopic N-body scattering theory, we identify the relevant diagrams including elastic and inelastic collision processes that are sufficient to describe diffusive quantum transport. By taking advantage of the statistical properties of the weak disorder potential, we demonstrate how the N-body dynamics can be reduced to a nonlinear integral equation of Boltzmann type for the single-particle diffusive flux. Our theory reduces to the Gross-Pitaevskii mean field description in the limit where only elastic collisions are taken into account. However, even at weak interaction strength, inelastic collisions lead to energy redistribution between the bosons – initially prepared all at the same single-particle energy – and thereby induce thermalization of the single-particle current. In addition, we include also weak localization effects and determine the coherent corrections to the incoherent transport in terms of the coherent backscattering signal. We find that inelastic collisions lead to an enhancement of the backscattered cone in a narrow spectral window for increasing interaction strength. ar
We develop a diagrammatic scattering theory for interacting bosons in a three-dimensional, weakly disordered potential. Based on a microscopic N -body scattering theory, we identify the relevant diagrams including elastic and inelastic collision processes that are sufficient to describe diffusive quantum transport. By taking advantage of the statistical properties of the weak disorder potential, we demonstrate how the N -body dynamics can be reduced to a nonlinear integral equation of Boltzmann type for the single-particle diffusive flux. Our theory reduces to the Gross–Pitaevskii mean field description in the limit where only elastic collisions are taken into account. However, even at weak interaction strength, inelastic collisions lead to energy redistribution between the bosons—initially prepared all at the same single-particle energy—and thereby induce thermalization of the single-particle current. In addition, we include also weak localization effects and determine the coherent corrections to the incoherent transport in terms of the coherent backscattering signal. We find that inelastic collisions lead to an enhancement of the backscattered cone in a narrow spectral window for increasing interaction strength.