Non-Rayleigh signal of interacting quantum particles

Abstract

The dynamics of two interacting quantum particles on a weakly disordered chain is investigated. Spatial quantum interference between them is characterized through the statistics of two-particle transition amplitudes, related to Hanbury Brown-Twiss correlations in optics. The fluctuation profile of the signal can discern whether the interacting parties are behaving like identical bosons, fermions, or distinguishable particles. An analog fully developed speckle regime displaying Rayleigh statistics is achieved for interacting bosons. Deviations toward long-tailed distributions echo quantum correlations akin to non-interacting identical particles. In the limit of strong interaction, two-particle bound states obey generalized Rician distributions.