Light transport through amorphous photonic materials with localization and bandgap regimes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a unified framework for describing light transport in amorphous dielectric materials, accounting for localization and bandgap effects, and validated by numerical data.

Contribution

It presents a novel theoretical model that unifies different light transport regimes in amorphous photonic materials, incorporating the effects of coherent reflection and density of states.

Findings

The model accurately describes transparency, diffusion, localization, and bandgap regimes.

Comparison with numerical data confirms the model's validity.

Coherent reflection near the bandgap suppresses diffuse and localized photon generation.

Abstract

We propose a framework that unifies the description of light transport in three-dimensional amorphous dielectric materials that exhibit both localization and a photonic bandgap. To this end, we argue that coherent reflection near and in the bandgap attenuates the generation of diffuse or localized photons. Using the self-consistent theory of localization and considering the density of states of photons, we can quantitatively describe all transport regimes: Transparency, light diffusion, localization, and bandgap. Comparing the model with numerical data on optical transport in hyperuniform dielectric networks confirms our findings.