Nonreciprocal Anderson Localization in Magneto-Optical Random Structures

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magneto-optical materials in disordered layered structures cause nonreciprocal Anderson localization of light, revealing geometry-dependent differences in transmission and localization properties.

Contribution

It provides analytical and numerical analysis of nonreciprocal Anderson localization in magneto-optical layered structures, highlighting geometry-dependent effects and resonance behaviors.

Findings

Strong nonreciprocity in Faraday geometry for circularly polarized waves

Weaker nonreciprocity in Voigt geometry, mainly at transmission resonances

Localization effects are analyzed using short-wavelength approximation

Abstract

We study, both analytically and numerically, disorder-induced localization of light in random layered structures with magnetooptical materials. The Anderson localization in such structures demonstrates nonreciprocal features in the averaged localization length and individual transmission resonances. We employ short-wavelength approximation where the localization effects are strong, and consider both the Faraday and Voigt magnetooptical geometries. In the Faraday geometry, the transmission is strongly nonreciprocal for the circularly polarized waves, whereas in the Voigt geometry, the nonreciprocity is much weaker, and it may appear only for the individual transmission resonances of the TM-polarized waves.