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Statistical signatures of photon localization

Chabanov1, Stoytchev, Genack

  • 1Physics Department, Queens College, The City University of New York, Flushing 11367, USA. achqc@qcunixl.acc.qc.edu

Nature
|April 29, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Researchers demonstrate photon localization in disordered materials using a novel transmission fluctuation method. This technique accurately measures photon localization, even with absorption, advancing the study of wave phenomena in optical and microwave physics.

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Area of Science:

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Photonics
  • Wave Phenomena

Background:

  • Anderson localization, originally observed in electrons, is a wave phenomenon where waves become trapped in disordered systems.
  • The extension of Anderson localization to photons (photon localization) is of significant interest due to potential new optical and microwave phenomena.
  • Previous claims of 3D photon localization were questioned due to potential interference from absorption and the difficulty of distinguishing localization from wave decay.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a reliable method for detecting and quantifying photon localization in disordered media, independent of absorption.
  • To investigate photon localization in various scattering systems, including quasi-1D dielectrics and metallic structures.
  • To differentiate true photon localization from wave attenuation caused by absorption.

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Main Methods:

  • Introduced a new approach based on measuring the variance of relative fluctuations in transmission quantities to assess photon localization.
  • Applied this method to analyze photon transport in quasi-one-dimensional dielectric samples (weakly and strongly scattering) and periodic metallic wire meshes.
  • Ruled out photon localization in three-dimensional mixtures of aluminum spheres using the developed technique.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that the variance of relative transmission fluctuations accurately quantifies the extent of photon localization, even in the presence of absorption.
  • Confirmed photon localization in quasi-one-dimensional dielectric samples and metallic wire meshes.
  • Provided evidence against photon localization in the studied 3D aluminum sphere mixtures.

Conclusions:

  • The measurement of transmission fluctuation variance offers a robust method for determining photon localization, overcoming limitations of previous techniques.
  • Photon localization is confirmed in specific quasi-1D and metallic disordered systems.
  • This work clarifies the conditions for photon localization and provides a new tool for studying wave localization phenomena.