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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials
Published on: September 26, 2014
Full transmission and reflection of waves propagating through a maze of disorder
Benoît Gérardin1, Jérôme Laurent1, Arnaud Derode1
1ESPCI ParisTech, PSL Research University, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut Langevin, UMR 7587, 1 rue Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Thirty years ago, theorists showed that a properly designed combination of incident waves could be fully transmitted through (or reflected by) a disordered medium, based on the existence of propagation channels which are essentially either closed or open (bimodal law). In this Letter, we study elastic waves in a disordered waveguide and present direct experimental evidence of the bimodal law. Full transmission and reflection are achieved. The wave field is monitored by laser interferometry and highlights the interference effects that take place within the scattering medium.
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