  We report the observation of quantum reflection from a narrow, attractive,
potential using bright solitary matter-waves formed from a 85Rb Bose-Einstein
condensate. We create narrow potentials using a tightly focused, red-detuned
laser beam, and observe reflection of up to 25% of the atoms, along with the
trapping of atoms at the position of the beam. We show that the observed
reflected fraction is much larger than theoretical predictions for a narrow
Gaussian potential well; a more detailed model of bright soliton propagation,
accounting for the generic presence of small subsidiary intensity maxima in the
red-detuned beam, suggests that these small intensity maxima are the cause of
this enhanced reflection.
