Transverse localization of light in 1D disordered waveguide lattices with backbone photonic bandgap

TL;DR

This paper numerically investigates how a photonic bandgap influences transverse light localization in disordered 1D waveguide lattices, revealing that PBG can enhance localization and be used to tailor spectral properties for applications like lasing.

Contribution

It demonstrates that photonic bandgaps can facilitate light localization in disordered waveguides even with weak disorder, offering new ways to control light in photonic structures.

Findings

PBG enhances light localization in disordered lattices.

Presence of PBG can enable localization without strong disorder.

PBG can be exploited to tailor spectral localization windows.

Abstract

The role of a prominent photonic bandgap (PBG) on the phenomenon of transverse localization of light in a semi-infinite lossless waveguide lattice consisting of evanescently coupled disordered one-dimensional optical waveguides has been investigated numerically. The interplay between the underlying photonic bandgap due to inherent periodicity of the optical system and various levels of deliberately induced transverse disorder in its refractive index periodicity has been studied. We show that the PBG indeed plays an important role and its simultaneous presence could catalyze realization of localized light even when strength of disorder is not sufficiently strong to independently cause localization of light. An important outcome of this study revealed that PBG could be gainfully exploited to tailor the spectral window for localization of light in potential applications like lasing in a disordered optical lattice.