Density of states governs light scattering in photonic crystals

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the density of states significantly influences light scattering in photonic media, showing a strong wavelength-dependent variation in scattering properties near the band-gap.

Contribution

It introduces a method to accurately measure the scattering mean free path across a transition from photonic crystal to glass, highlighting the role of the density of states.

Findings

Scattering mean free path varies by an order of magnitude near the band-gap.

Density of states governs light scattering behavior in photonic structures.

Transition from ordered to disordered media affects scattering properties.

Abstract

We describe a smooth transition from (fully ordered) photonic crystal to (fully disordered) photonic glass that enables us to make an accurate measurement of the scattering mean free path in nanostructured media and, in turn, establishes the dominant role of the density of states. We have found one order of magnitude chromatic variation in the scattering mean free path in photonic crystals for just $\sim 3%$ shift around the band-gap ($\sim 27$ nm in wavelength).