TAILORED COMPLEX POTENTIALS AND FRIEDEL'S LAW IN ATOM OPTICS

Tailored complex potentials for atoms can be made of two overlapping standing light waves, one on resonance and one far detuned. The observed diffraction asymmetry of Bragg diffraction of such light structures is due to a corresponding asymmetry of the Fourier components of the potential. In crystal physics this is known as a violation of Friedel's law.