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In his groundbreaking paper Absence of diffusion in certain random lattices (1958) , Philip W Anderson originated, described and developed the physical principles underlying the phenomenon of the localization of quantum objects due to disorder. Anderson's 1977 Nobel Prize citation featured that paper, which was fundamental for many subsequent developments in condensed matter physics and technical applications. After more than a half century, the subject continues to be of fundamental importance. In particular, in the last 25 years, the phenomenon of localization has proved to be crucial for the understanding of the quantum Hall effect, mesoscopic fluctuations in small conductors, some aspects of quantum chaotic behavior, and the localization and collective modes of electromagnetic and matter waves. This unique and invaluable volume celebrates the five decades of the impact of Anderson localization on modern physics. In addition to the historical perspective on its origin, the volume provides a comprehensive description of the experimental and theoretical aspects of Anderson localization, together with its application in various areas, which include disordered metals and the metal insulator transition, mesoscopic physics, classical systems and light, strongly-correlated systems, and mathematical models.
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Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
50 YEARS OF ANDERSON LOCALIZATION Copyright © 2010 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the Publisher.
For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher.
ISBN-13 ISBN-10 ISBN-13 ISBN-10
978-981-4299-06-0 981-4299-06-5 978-981-4299-07-7 (pbk) 981-4299-07-3 (pbk)
Desk Editor: Tan Hwee Yun
Printed in Singapore.
HweeYun - 50 Yrs of Anderson Localization.pmd 1
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World Scientific Review Volume - 9.75in x 6.5in
00a˙introduction
INTRODUCTION
At the time of the publication of this volume, more than fifty years have passed since the appearance in The Physical Review of Philip W. Anderson’s landmark paper titled Absence of Diffusion in Certain Random Lattices.1 During the decades since, the phenomenon predicted and explained in that paper became known as “Anderson localization” and has been widely recognized as one of the fundamental concepts in the physics of condensed matter and disordered systems. Anderson’s 1977 Nobel Prize, shared with Nevill Mott and John Van Vleck, is based in part on that seminal paper. Anderson was initially motivated to understand the influence of disorder on spin diffusion and on electron transport. In the years since, the concepts and results that he created have found their way across a wide range of other topics. Among them are nano– and meso–scale technology, seismology, acoustic waves, quantum optics, ultracold atomic gases, localization of light. The chapters contributed by Phil Anderson, David Thouless and T.