Abstract

The possibility of using ultracold atoms to observe localization of matter waves is now a subject of significant interest. These systems offer unprecedented control over inter-particle interactions, imposed potentials and the level of disorder as compared to their condensed matter analogues. The two-dimensional (2D) case is of particular interest. The prevailing view has been that in the 2D electron gas there is no metallic state, but recent experiments are suggestive of a metal-insulator transition in very dilute systems. We investigate theoretically the possibility of observing strongly localized states, corresponding to the insulating phase, in the dilute 2D gas.

© 2007 Optical Society of America