Elastic Scattering Time of Matter Waves in Disordered Potentials

Area of Science:

• Quantum physics
• Atomic physics
• Wave phenomena

Background:

• Understanding wave scattering in disordered media is key for phenomena like Anderson localization.
• The elastic scattering time (τs) quantifies wave scattering strength.
• Disordered potentials are crucial for studying wave transport in ultracold atom systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extensively study the elastic scattering time (τs) of matter waves in optical disordered potentials.
• To investigate the behavior of τs across weak to strong scattering regimes (over 3 orders of magnitude).
• To reveal the influence of disorder statistics on scattering properties and established criteria.

Main Methods:

• Direct experimental measurements of τs.
• Numerical simulations of wave scattering.
• Comparison with first-order Born approximation using known disorder properties.

Main Results:

• The elastic scattering time (τs) was explored over more than 3 orders of magnitude.
• The crossover from weak to strong scattering was analyzed in detail.
• Disorder statistics strongly influence scattering, particularly the Ioffe-Regel-like criterion (kls∼1).
• The Ioffe-Regel criterion is relevant for Gaussian disorder but deviates significantly for laser speckle disorder.

Conclusions:

• Disorder statistics critically affect wave scattering in disordered potentials.
• The commonly used Ioffe-Regel criterion requires re-evaluation for specific disorder types, like laser speckle.
• These findings are vital for linking experimental transport phenomena (e.g., Anderson localization) with microscopic theories in ultracold atom systems.