(Matter) Waves in disordered media (Talk)
- Valentin Volchkov (Dr.)
- Institut d'Optique in Palaiseau
The propagation of waves in inhomogeneous media is a vast subject, spanning many different research communities. The ability of waves to interfere leads to the celebrated phenomenon of Anderson localization. Constructive interference increases the probability of return and therefore it can reduce or even cancel the propagation in a disordered medium. Anderson localization was first predicted for electrons in 'dirty' condensed matter systems, very soon however, it was generalized to all kind of waves and has been studied since with light, microwaves, ultrasound, and ultra cold atoms. Here I will give a brief introduction into the basic ideas of Anderson physics and mention some applications. In fact, I will argue that disorder can be used as a resource rather being a nuisance. I will discuss ultra cold atoms as a good candidate for studying Anderson localization and wave propagation in disorder in general and present related experiments.
Biography: Dr. Volchkov studied physics at the University of Heidelberg and graduated in the year 2009. He obtained a PhD at the University in the year 2013 for works on optical pumping of ultra cold chromium atoms in the group of Prof. Pfau. Since then he is pursuing post-doctoral research at the Institut d'Optique in Palaiseau, where he study wave propagation in disorder using ultra cold matter waves.
