Echo spectroscopy of Anderson localization

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.

14 pages, 7 figures; published version