Light localization in nonuniformly randomized lattices

TL;DR

This paper investigates how varying disorder strength across an optical lattice affects light localization, revealing that the nature of disorder variation influences the formation and decay of localized modes.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of nonuniform disorder in optical lattices and analyzes its impact on light localization and mode formation.

Findings

Step-like disorder creates modes with different decay rates on each side.

Smooth disorder variation produces extended modes in weakly disordered regions.

Disorder variation significantly alters light localization properties.

Abstract

We address Anderson localization of light in disordered optical lattices where the disorder strength varies across the transverse direction. Such variation changes the preferred domains where formation of localized eigenmodes is most probable, hence drastically impacting light localization properties. Thus, step-like disorder results in formation of modes with different decay rates at both sides of the interface, while a smoothly varying disorder yields appearance of modes that are extended within weakly disordered domains and rapidly fade away in strongly disordered domains.