Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 217, 79-84 (2013)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2013-01756-8

Regular Article

Momentum isotropisation in random potentials

¹ Laboratoire Charles Fabry UMR 8501, Institut d'Optique, CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud 11, 2 avenue Augustin Fresnel, 91127 Palaiseau Cedex, France
² Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore, Singapore

^a e-mail: cord.mueller@nus.edu.sg

Received: 7 September 2012
Revised: 15 January 2013
Published online: 11 March 2013

Abstract

When particles are multiply scattered by a random potential, their momentum distribution becomes isotropic on average. We study this quantum dynamics numerically and with a master equation. We show how to measure the elastic scattering time as well as characteristic isotropisation times, which permit to reconstruct the scattering phase function, even in rather strong disorder.