Controlling Anderson localization in disordered photonic crystal waveguides

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how the localization length in disordered photonic crystal waveguides can be controlled via dispersion, enabling strong light confinement by leveraging Anderson localization effects.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence linking dispersion to Anderson localization control in photonic crystals, highlighting a method to tune light confinement.

Findings

Localization length varies tenfold between regimes

Shorter localization length in slow-light regime

Strongly confined modes achieved in disordered structures

Abstract

We prove Anderson localization in a disordered photonic crystal waveguide by measuring the ensemble-averaged localization length which is controlled by the dispersion of the photonic crystal waveguide. In such structures, the localization length shows a 10-fold variation between the fast- and the slow-light regime and, in the latter case, it becomes shorter than the sample length thus giving rise to strongly confined modes. The dispersive behavior of the localization length demonstrates the close relation between Anderson localization and the photon density of states in disordered photonic crystals, which opens a promising route to controlling and exploiting Anderson localization for efficient light confinement.