One-dimensional Random Potential Research Articles

Anderson localization and delocalization of massless two-dimensional Dirac electrons in random one-dimensional scalar and vector potentials

We study Anderson localization of massless Dirac electrons in two dimensions in one-dimensional random scalar and vector potentials theoretically for two different cases, in which the scalar and vector potentials are either uncorrelated or correlated. From the Dirac equation, we deduce the effective wave impedance, using which we derive the condition for total transmission and those for delocalization in our random models analytically. Based on the invariant imbedding theory, we also develop a numerical method to calculate the localization length exactly for arbitrary strengths of disorder. In addition, we derive analytical expressions for the localization length, which are extremely accurate in the weak and strong disorder limits. In the presence of both scalar and vector potentials, the conditions for total transmission and complete delocalization are generalized from the usual Klein tunneling case. We find that the incident angles at which electron waves are either completely transmitted or delocalized can be tuned to arbitrary values. When the strength of scalar potential disorder increases to infinity, the localization length also increases to infinity, both in uncorrelated and correlated cases. The detailed dependencies of the localization length on incident angle, disorder strength and energy are elucidated and the discrepancies with previous studies and some new results are discussed. All the results are explained intuitively using the concept of wave impedance.

Initial conditions for slow-roll inflation in a random Gaussian landscape

In the landscape perspective, our Universe begins with a quantum tunneling from an eternally-inflating parent vacuum, followed by a period of slow-roll inflation. We investigate the tunneling process and calculate the probability distribution for the initial conditions and for the number of e-folds of slow-roll inflation, modeling the landscape by a small-field one-dimensional random Gaussian potential. We find that such a landscape is fully consistent with observations, but the probability for future detection of spatial curvature is rather low, P ∼ 10−3.

Localization of wave packets in one-dimensional random potentials

We study the expansion of an initially strongly confined wave packet in a one-dimensional weak random potential with short correlation length. At long times, the expansion of the wave packet comes to a halt due to destructive interferences leading to Anderson localization. We develop an analytical description for the disorder-averaged localized density profile. For this purpose, we employ the diagrammatic method of Berezinskii which we extend to the case of wave packets, present an analytical expression of the Lyapunov exponent which is valid for small as well as for high energies and, finally, develop a self-consistent Born approximation in order to analytically calculate the energy distribution of our wave packet. By comparison with numerical simulations, we show that our theory describes well the complete localized density profile, not only in the tails, but also in the center.

Localization of a two-component Bose–Einstein condensate in a one-dimensional random potential

We consider a weakly interacting two-component Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) in a one-dimensional random speckle potential. The problem is studied with solutions of Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) equations by means of numerical method in Crank–Nicolson scheme. Properties of various cases owing to the competition of disorder and repulsive interactions of a cigar-shaped two-component BEC are discussed in detail. It is shown that in the central region, phase separation of a two-component BEC is not only affected by the intra- and inter-component interactions, but also influenced by the strength of the random speckle potential. Due to the strong disorder of the potential, the criterion of phase separation which is independent of the trap strength in an ordered potential, such as a harmonic potential, is no longer available. The influence of different random numbers generated by distinct processes on localization of BEC in the random potential is also investigated, as well as the configurations of the density profiles in the tail regions.

Dynamics of localized waves in one-dimensional random potentials: Statistical theory of the coherent forward scattering peak

As recently discovered [PRL ${\bf 109}$ 190601(2012)], Anderson localization in a bulk disordered system triggers the emergence of a coherent forward scattering (CFS) peak in momentum space, which twins the well-known coherent backscattering (CBS) peak observed in weak localization experiments. Going beyond the perturbative regime, we address here the long-time dynamics of the CFS peak in a 1D random system and we relate this novel interference effect to the statistical properties of the eigenfunctions and eigenspectrum of the corresponding random Hamiltonian. Our numerical results show that the dynamics of the CFS peak is governed by the logarithmic level repulsion between localized states, with a time scale that is, with good accuracy, twice the Heisenberg time. This is in perfect agreement with recent findings based on the nonlinear $\sigma$-model. In the stationary regime, the width of the CFS peak in momentum space is inversely proportional to the localization length, reflecting the exponential decay of the eigenfunctions in real space, while its height is exactly twice the background, reflecting the Poisson statistical properties of the eigenfunctions. Our results should be easily extended to higher dimensional systems and other symmetry classes.

Brownian particles on rough substrates: Relation between intermediate subdiffusion and asymptotic long-time diffusion

Brownian particles in random potentials show an extended regime of subdiffusive dynamics at intermediate times. The asymptotic diffusive behavior is often established at very long times and thus cannot be accessed in experiments or simulations. For the case of one-dimensional random potentials with Gaussian distributed energies, we present a detailed analysis of experimental and simulation data. It is shown that the asymptotic long-time diffusion coefficient can be related to the behavior at intermediate times, namely, the minimum of the exponent that characterizes subdiffusion and hence corresponds to the maximum degree of subdiffusion. As a consequence, investigating only the dynamics at intermediate times is sufficient to predict the order of magnitude of the long-time diffusion coefficient and the time scale at which the crossover from subdiffusion to diffusion occurs, i.e., when the long-time diffusive regime and hence thermal equilibrium is established. Inversely, theoretical predictions derived for the asymptotic long-time behavior can be used to quantitatively characterize the intermediate behavior, which hardly has been studied so far.

Dynamics of individual colloidal particles in one-dimensional random potentials: a simulation study

Using Monte Carlo simulations, individual Brownian particles have been investigated in a one-dimensional random energy landscape whose energy levels are selected from a Gaussian distribution. The standard deviation of the distribution determines the roughness of the noise-like potential and was varied in the simulations. After initialization, which was done by an instantaneous or infinitely slow (annealed) quench, the particle dynamics were followed. They were characterized by a number of parameters, such as the mean squared displacement, the time dependent diffusion coefficient, the non-Gaussian parameter, and the van Hove function. The dynamics exhibit different regimes: at very short times superdiffusion, followed by normal diffusion, and subsequently an extended period of subdiffusive dynamics due to localization within the minima of the potential, and finally, after a very slow approach towards the long-time limit, again diffusion with a significantly reduced diffusion coefficient. The long-time diffusion coefficient is consistent with theoretical predictions while no predictions exist for the intermediate times. Nevertheless, over the whole time range, the simulation results are in agreement with recent experimental findings on colloidal particles in a random potential created by a holographic optical setup.

From Anderson to anomalous localization in cold atomic gases with effective spin–orbit coupling

We study the dynamics of a spin–orbit (SO)-coupled Schrödinger particle with two internal degrees of freedom moving in a one-dimensional random potential. Numerical calculation of the density of states reveals the emergence of a Dyson-like singularity at zero energy when the system approaches the quasi-relativistic limit of the random-mass Dirac model for large SO coupling. Simulations of the expansion of an initially localized wave-packet show a crossover from an exponential (Anderson) localization to an anomalous power-law behavior reminiscent of the zero-energy (mid-gap) state of the random-mass Dirac model. We discuss conditions under which the crossover is observable in an experiment and derive the zero-energy state, thus proving its existence under proper conditions. Finally we describe a possible experimental realization using an ensemble of cold 87Rb-atoms interacting with external control lasers and speckle fields.

Suppression of Bose-Einstein condensation in one-dimensional scale-free random potentials

A perfect Bose gas can condensate in one dimension in the presence of a random potential due to the presence of Lifshitz tails in the one-particle density of states. Here, we show that scale-free correlations in the random potential suppress the disorder induced Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC). Within a tight-binding approach, we consider free Bosons moving in a scale-free correlated random potential with spectral density decaying as $1/{k}^{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$. The critical temperature for BEC is shown to vanish in chains with a binary nonstationary potential $(\ensuremath{\alpha}>1)$. On the other hand, a weaker suppression of BEC takes place in nonbinarized scale-free potentials. After a slightly increase in the stationary regime, the BEC transition temperature continuously decays as the spectral exponent $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$.

Localization for one-dimensional random potentials with large local fluctuations

We study the localization of wavefunctions for one-dimensional Schrödinger Hamiltonians with random potentials V(x) with short-range correlations and large local fluctuations such that . A random supersymmetric Hamiltonian is also considered. Depending on how large the fluctuations of V(x) are, we find either new energy dependences of the localization length, ℓloc ∝ E/ln E, ℓloc ∝ Eμ/2 with 0 < μ < 2 or ℓloc ∝ lnμ−1E for μ > 1, or superlocalization (decay of the wavefunctions faster than a simple exponential).

Enhancement of Localization in One-Dimensional Random Potentials with Long-Range Correlations

We experimentally study the effect of enhancement of localization in weak one-dimensional random potentials. Our experimental setup is a single-mode waveguide with 100 tunable scatterers periodically inserted into the waveguide. By measuring the amplitudes of transmitted and reflected waves in the spacing between each pair of scatterers, we observe a strong decrease of the localization length when white-noise scatterers are replaced by a correlated arrangement of scatterers.

Statistical properties of functionals of the paths of a particle diffusing in a one-dimensional random potential

We present a formalism for obtaining the statistical properties of functionals and inverse functionals of the paths of a particle diffusing in a one-dimensional quenched random potential. We demonstrate the implementation of the formalism in two specific examples: (1) where the functional corresponds to the local time spent by the particle around the origin and (2) where the functional corresponds to the occupation time spent by the particle on the positive side of the origin, within an observation time window of size t. We compute the disorder average distributions of the local time, the inverse local time, the occupation time, and the inverse occupation time and show that in many cases disorder modifies the behavior drastically.

Continuum of extended states in the spectrum of a one-dimensional random potential

We describe a one-dimensional disordered system, based on the P\"oschl-Teller potential, that exhibits a continuum of extended states which is independent of the random or correlated character of the sequence and of the length of the system. The delocalization of the electronic states occurs in the whole positive spectrum where the system shows a perfect transmission.

Bose–Einstein condensation in random potentials

We present a rigorous study of the perfect Bose-gas in the presence of a homogeneous ergodic random potential. It is demonstrated that the Lifshitz tail behaviour of the one-particle spectrum reduces the critical dimensionality of the (generalized) Bose–Einstein Condensation (BEC) to d=1. To tackle the Off-Diagonal Long-Range Order (ODLRO) we introduce the space average one-body reduced density matrix. For a one-dimensional Poisson-type random potential we prove that randomness enhances the exponential decay of this matrix in domain free of the BEC. To cite this article: O. Lenoble et al., C. R. Physique 5 (2004).

Localization of a pair of bound particles in a random potential

We study the localization length l c of a pair of two attractively bound particles moving in a one-dimensional random potential. We show in which way it depends on the interaction potential between the constituents of this composite particle. For a pair with many bound states N the localization length is proportional to N, independently of the form of the two particle interaction. For the case of two bound states, we present an exact solution for the corresponding Fokker–Planck equation and demonstrate that l c depends sensitively on the shape of the interaction potential and the symmetry of the bound state wave functions.

Localization of a polymer in random media: relation to the localization of a quantum particle.

In this paper we consider in detail the connection between the problem of a polymer in a random medium and that of a quantum particle in a random potential. We are interested in a system of finite volume where the polymer is known to be localized inside a low minimum of the potential. We show how the end-to-end distance of a polymer that is free to move can be obtained from the density of states of the quantum particle using extreme value statistics. We give a physical interpretation to the recently discovered one-step replica-symmetry-breaking solution for the polymer [Phys. Rev. E 61, 1729 (2000)] in terms of the statistics of localized tail states. Numerical solutions of the variational equations for chains of different length are performed and compared with quenched averages computed directly by using the eigenfunctions and eigenenergies of the Schrödinger equation for a particle in a one-dimensional random potential. The quantities investigated are the radius of gyration of a free Gaussian chain, its mean square distance from the origin and the end-to-end distance of a tethered chain. The probability distribution for the position of the chain is also investigated. The glassiness of the system is explained and is estimated from the variance of the measured quantities.

Individual energy level distributions for one-dimensional diagonal and off-diagonal disorder

We study the distribution of the $n$-th energy level for two different one-dimensional random potentials. This distribution is shown to be related to the distribution of the distance between two consecutive nodes of the wave function. We first consider the case of a white noise potential and study the distributions of energy level both in the positive and the negative part of the spectrum. It is demonstrated that, in the limit of a large system ($L\to\infty$), the distribution of the $n$-th energy level is given by a scaling law which is shown to be related to the extreme value statistics of a set of independent variables. In the second part we consider the case of a supersymmetric random Hamiltonian (potential $V(x)=\phi(x)^2+\phi'(x)$). We study first the case of $\phi(x)$ being a white noise with zero mean. It is in particular shown that the ground state energy, which behaves on average like $\exp{-L^{1/3}}$ in agreement with previous work, is not a self averaging quantity in the limit $L\to\infty$ as is seen in the case of diagonal disorder. Then we consider the case when $\phi(x)$ has a non zero mean value.

Imaginary potential as a counter of delay time for wave reflection from a one-dimensional random potential

We show that the delay time distribution for wave reflection from a one-dimensional (one-channel) random potential is related directly to that of the reflection coefficient, derived with an arbitrarily small but uniform imaginary part added to the random potential. Physically, the reflection coefficient, being exponential in the time dwelt in the presence of the imaginary part, provides a natural counter for it. The delay time distribution then follows straightforwardly from our earlier results for the reflection coefficient, and coincides with the distribution obtained recently by Texier and Comtet [C. Texier and A. Comtet, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4220 (1999)], with all moments infinite. The delay time distribution for a random amplifying medium is then derived. In this case, however, all moments work out to be finite.

Universality of the Wigner Time Delay Distribution for One-Dimensional Random Potentials

We show that the distribution of the time delay for one-dimensional random potentials is universal in the high energy or weak disorder limit. Our analytical results are in excellent agreement with extensive numerical simulations carried out on samples whose sizes are large compared to the localisation length (localised regime). The case of small samples is also discussed (ballistic regime). We provide a physical argument which explains in a quantitative way the origin of the exponential divergence of the moments. The occurence of a log-normal tail for finite size systems is analysed. Finally, we present exact results in the low energy limit which clearly show a departure from the universal behaviour.

Scaling the localisation lengths for two interacting particles in one-dimensional random potentials

Using a numerical decimation method, we compute the localisation length λ 2 for two onsite interacting particles (TIP) in a one-dimensional random potential. We show that an interaction U>0 does lead to λ 2( U)> λ 2(0) for not too large U and test the validity of various proposed fit functions for λ 2( U). Finite-size scaling allows us to obtain infinite sample size estimates ξ 2( U) and we find that ξ 2( U)∼ ξ 2(0) α( U) with α( U) varying between α(0)≈1 and α(1)≈1.5. We observe that all ξ 2( U) data can be made to coalesce onto a single scaling curve. We also present results for the problem of TIP in two different random potentials corresponding to interacting electron–hole pairs.