2011/08/31 by Fred Jendrzejewski, Alain Bernard, Killian Mueller +7 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.quant-gas #cond-mat.other
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/nphys2256
published as Nature Physics 8 (2012) 398-403 · published in Nature Physics; The present version is the initial manuscript (unchanged compared to version 1); The published version is available online at http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nphys2256.html
arxiv created 2012/05/03 · arxiv updated 2015/05/29
We report a study of three-dimensional (3D) localization of ultracold atoms suspended against gravity, and released in a 3D optical disordered potential with short correlation lengths in all directions. We observe density profiles composed of a steady localized part and a diffusive part. Our observations are compatible with the self-consistent theory of Anderson localization, taking into account the specific features of the experiment, and in particular the broad energy distribution of the atoms placed in the disordered potential. The localization we observe cannot be interpreted as trapping of particles with energy below the classical percolation threshold.