Echo spectroscopy of Anderson localization

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel echo spectroscopy method using dephasing pulses to study Anderson localization, providing a new way to observe quantum interference in disordered systems, especially in cold gases.

Contribution

It proposes a new framework employing echo spectroscopy with dephasing pulses to investigate the onset of Anderson localization in disordered media.

Findings

Coherence peaks form at specific echo times indicating quantum interference.

The method is concretely realizable in cold gas experiments with laser speckle potentials.

The approach offers new insights into Anderson localization mechanisms.

Abstract

We propose a conceptually new framework to study the onset of Anderson localization in disordered systems. The idea is to expose waves propagating in a random scattering environment to a sequence of short dephasing pulses. The system responds through coherence peaks forming at specific echo times, each echo representing a particular process of quantum interference. We suggest a concrete realization for cold gases, where quantum interferences are observed in the momentum distribution of matter waves in a laser speckle potential. This defines a challenging, but arguably realistic framework promising to yield unprecedented insight into the mechanisms of Anderson localization.