Matter wave speckle observed in an out-of-equilibrium quantum fluid

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a striking similarity between the statistical properties of a turbulent Bose-Einstein condensate and optical speckle patterns, suggesting new avenues for studying disordered quantum matter.

Contribution

It provides the first direct comparison of matter wave speckle in a quantum fluid with optical speckle, revealing underlying statistical parallels.

Findings

Similar second-order correlation functions in both systems

Comparable correlation lengths observed

Potential for new research in disordered quantum systems

Abstract

We report the results of a direct comparison of a freely expanding turbulent Bose-Einstein condensate and the propagation of an optical speckle pattern. We found remarkably similar statistical properties underlying the spatial propagation of both phenomena. The calculated second-order correlation together with the typical correlation length of each system is used to compare and substantiate our observations. We believe that the close analogy existing in between an expanding turbulent quantum gas and a traveling optical speckle, might burgeon into an exciting new research field investigating disordered quantum matter.