# Coherent Wave Propagation in Multi-Mode systems with Correlated Noise

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how correlated noise affects wave propagation in multimode systems, revealing a universal transition from exponential to power-law decay, with implications across optics, quantum, and biological systems.

## Contribution

It demonstrates that short-scale coherent dynamics can control long-scale behavior in multimode systems with correlated noise, uncovering a universal decay crossover.

## Key findings

- Universal crossover from exponential to power-law decay.
- Control of long-scale dynamics by short-scale coherence.
- Applicability to diverse wave physics systems.

## Abstract

Imperfections in multimode systems lead to mode-mixing and interferences between propagating modes. Such disorder is typically characterized by a finite correlation time (in quantum evolution) or correlation length (in paraxial evolution). We show that the long-scale dynamics of an initial excitation that spread in mode space can be tailored by the coherent dynamics on short-scale. In particular we unveil a universal crossover from exponential to power-law ballistic-like decay of the initial mode. Our results have applications to various wave physics frameworks, ranging from multimode fiber optics to quantum dots and quantum biology.