Universal mesoscopic statistics and the localization of light

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the statistical distribution of transmitted light intensity evolves with sample thickness in layered media, revealing a transition to universal mesoscopic behavior linked to topological changes in the field.

Contribution

It introduces a unified description of intensity statistics during the crossover from 1D to 3D in layered media, highlighting the role of the statistical conductance.

Findings

Intensity distribution shifts from 1D to a universal mesoscopic form.

Universal statistics emerge beyond 1D due to topological changes.

The distribution involves a single parameter, the statistical conductance.

Abstract

We follow the evolution with sample thickness, of intensity statistics for localized light transmitted through layered media in a crossover from one to three dimensions occasioned by transverse disorder. The probability distribution of intensity changes from one dimensional to a mixture of a mesoscopic function of a single parameter, the "statistical conductance," and a distribution of intensity for Gaussian waves. This suggests that the change to a universal statistics beyond 1D is associated with the topological change in the spatial field distribution.