Random Coherent Perfect Absorption with 2D Atomic Materials Mediated by Anderson Localization

Abstract

Tailoring the spatiotemporal confinement of light with two-dimensional (2D) atomic materials is critical to harnessing their unique and attractive optoelectronic properties. Here, we report on the interplay between the localization of light within a disordered medium and the extreme material and loss localization afforded by deeply subwavelength (∼λ0/5000) single-layer 2D atomic materials. Structures in the regime of Anderson localization are found to support a condition termed “random coherent perfect absorption” (RCPA). This yields an array of optical effects that are unachievable in conventional lossy random media, including >99.9% absorption with Q-factors ranging from ∼102 to 106, Fano-resonance behavior in 1D, coexistence of RCPA and extraordinary transmission, and angle-selective conditions supporting the coalescence of all random modes toward perfect absorption.