Quantum diffusion of muonium atoms in solids: Localization vs. band-like propagation

Studies of muonium dynamics in insulators and semiconductors at low temperature have led to two fundamentally different pictures: Mu is found to localize strongly in Van der Waals crystals, while in alkali halides and compound semiconductors it has long been believed to undergo bandlike propagation with a characteristic bandwidth Δ∼0.1K. Our recent measurements in transverse field indicate that Mu atom may be localized at low temperatures in both KCl and GaAs. This apparent discrepancy with previous results may dramatically change our understanding of muonium quantum dynamics in solids, raising the question of whether Mu atoms can ever be truly delocalized at low temperature or if its localization is a general phenomenon in solids.