Observing Power-Law Dynamics of Position-Velocity Correlation in Anomalous Diffusion

Abstract

In this letter we present a measurement of the phase-space density distribution (PSDD) of ultra-cold \Rb atoms performing 1D anomalous diffusion. The PSDD is imaged using a direct tomographic method based on Raman velocity selection. It reveals that the position-velocity correlation function $C_{xv}(t)$ builds up on a timescale related to the initial conditions of the ensemble and then decays asymptotically as a power-law. We show that the decay follows a simple scaling theory involving the power-law asymptotic dynamics of position and velocity. The generality of this scaling theory is confirmed using Monte-Carlo simulations of two distinct models of anomalous diffusion.