Dynamics of wave packets in two-dimensional random systems with anisotropic disorder

Abstract

A theoretical model is proposed to describe narrowband pulse dynamics in two-dimensional systems with arbitrary correlated disorder. In anisotropic systems with elongated cigarlike inhomogeneities, fast propagation is predicted in the direction across the structure where the wave is exponentially localized and tunneling of evanescent modes plays a dominant role in typical realizations. Along the structure, where the wave is channeled as in a waveguide, the motion of the wave energy is relatively slow. Numerical simulations performed for ultra-wide-band pulses show that even at the initial stage of wave evolution, the radiation diffuses predominantly in the direction along the major axis of the correlation ellipse. Spectral analysis of the results relates the long tail of the wave observed in the transverse direction to a number of frequency domain "lucky shots" associated with the long-living resonant modes localized inside the sample.