Inverse Anderson transition in photonic cages

TL;DR

This paper predicts and demonstrates an inverse Anderson transition in a photonic system, where disorder induces transport instead of localization, challenging traditional understanding of Anderson localization.

Contribution

It introduces a simple quasi-one-dimensional photonic flat band system that exhibits an inverse Anderson transition due to correlated binary disorder, a novel phenomenon.

Findings

Disorder induces ballistic transport in the system.

Correlated binary disorder triggers the inverse Anderson transition.

The system demonstrates transport in conditions where localization is expected.

Abstract

Transport inhibition via Anderson localization is ubiquitous in disordered periodic lattices. However, in crystals displaying only flat bands disorder can lift macroscopic band flattening, removing geometric localization and enabling transport in certain conditions. Such a striking phenomenon, dubbed inverse Anderson transition and predicted for three-dimensional flat band systems, has thus far not been directly observed. Here we suggest a simple quasi one-dimensional photonic flat band system, namely an Aharonov-Bohm photonic cage, in which correlated binary disorder induces an inverse Anderson transition and ballistic transport.