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Recurrent scattering and memory effect at the Anderson localization transition
A Aubry1, L A Cobus2, S E Skipetrov3
1Institut Langevin, ESPCI ParisTech, CNRS UMR 7587, Université Denis Diderot-Paris 7, 1 rue Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
Physical Review Letters
|March 4, 2014
Summary
Ultrasonic waves in strongly scattering mesoglass show a large memory effect due to recurrent paths. This memory effect is crucial for understanding wave propagation and Anderson localization transitions.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Wave propagation in disordered media
Background:
- Strongly scattering media like mesoglass exhibit complex wave phenomena.
- Understanding wave localization is crucial for various physical systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate ultrasonic wave propagation in strongly scattering mesoglass.
- To analyze the spatial coherence and memory effects in backscattered fields.
- To explore the relationship between recurrent scattering and Anderson localization.
Main Methods:
- Ultrasonic measurements of the propagation operator.
- Analysis of the backscattered field.
- Investigation of recurrent scattering contributions.
- Singular value decomposition of the propagation operator.
Main Results:
- A deterministic spatial coherence was observed in the backscattered field.
- A remarkably large memory effect induced by long recurrent trajectories was identified.
- The probability of wave return to the starting point showed a dramatic decay change near the Anderson localization transition.
- Intense recurrent scattering paths were found to dominate near the mobility edge.
Conclusions:
- Recurrent scattering paths significantly influence wave propagation in mesoglass.
- The memory effect is a key indicator for Anderson localization.
- Ultrasonic measurements provide insights into wave behavior near localization transitions.
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