Three-dimensional Anderson localization of ultracold matter

S. S. Kondov, W. R. McGehee, J. J. Zirbel, B. DeMarco

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Anderson localization (AL) is a ubiquitous interference phenomenon in which waves fail to propagate in a disordered medium. We observe three-dimensional AL of noninteracting ultracold matter by allowing a spin-polarized atomic Fermi gas to expand into a disordered potential. A two-component density distribution emerges consisting of an expanding mobile component and a nondiffusing localized component. We extract a mobility edge that increases with the disorder strength, whereas the thermally averaged localization length is shown to decrease with disorder strength and increase with particle energy. These measurements provide a benchmark for more sophisticated theories of AL.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)66-68
Number of pages3
JournalScience
Volume334
Issue number6052
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 7 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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