Anderson Localization Of Light Research Articles

A brief report on nanophotonics and metamaterials landscape in India

AbstractHere, we describe a set of research results in the domain of Nanophotonics and Metamaterials that represent the broad N &M landscape in India. These results were presented in an online BRICS meeting, and were collated based on the criteria deemed appropriate for the said forum. Results presented at the meeting encompass various areas, including nano-optics, nano-opto-mechanics, integrated photonic devices, plasmonics, metal-enhanced fluorescence, bio relevant photonics and metamaterials. Research topics such as Anderson localization of light, exceptional points in non-Hermitian systems, manipulation of nanoscale mechanical motion, efficient mode coupling in integrated photonics etc are discussed. Furthermore, miniaturized SPR sensors, coupling between metal nanostructures and semiconductor quantum dots, biosensing applications, metamaterials and random lasing, and customizable optical functionalities for sensing, and energy conversion are also elaborated upon. In the end, a brief listing of more recent selected publications is presented. This review article highlights the diverse and promising avenues in nanophotonics and metamaterials research in India.

Nonlinear effects in Anderson localization of light by two-level atoms

Nonlinear effects in Anderson localization of light by two-level atoms

Anderson localization of electromagnetic waves in three dimensions

Anderson localization is a halt of diffusive wave propagation in disordered systems. Despite extensive studies over the past 40 years, Anderson localization of light in three dimensions has remained elusive, leading to the question of its very existence. Recent advances have enabled finite-difference time-domain calculations to be sped up by orders of magnitude, allowing us to conduct brute-force numerical simulations of light transport in fully disordered three-dimensional systems with unprecedented dimension and refractive index difference. We show numerically three-dimensional localization of vector electromagnetic waves in random aggregates of overlapping metallic spheres, in sharp contrast to the absence of localization for dielectric spheres with a refractive index up to 10 in air. Our work opens a wide range of avenues in both fundamental research related to Anderson localization and potential applications using three-dimensional localized light. Whether Anderson localization of light can be achieved in three dimensions has remained an open question. Numerical calculations now show that it is possible with a random arrangement of metallic spheres, but not with dielectric ones.

Anderson light localization in medium with random refractive index and angle-independent color

In a material with a random refractive index, Anderson localization of light can occur. The reflection coefficient is minimal during the wavelengths that Anderson localization occurs. It is found that in the localization states, the color of the structure can be independent of the viewing angle. Simulations are performed in one and two dimensions. The mere randomness of the medium refractive index is not sufficient for the color independence of the structure with respect to the angle, however, the intensity of the randomness must be large enough.

Pseudogap and Anderson localization of light in correlated disordered media

Among the remarkable scattering properties of correlated disordered materials, the origin of pseudogaps and the formation of localized states are some of the most puzzling features. Fundamental differences between scalar and vector waves in both these aspects make their comprehension even more problematic. Here we present an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of the order-to-disorder transition in 2D resonant systems. We show with exact ab initio numerical simulations in finite-size hyperuniform media that localization of 2D vector waves can occur in the presence of correlated disorder, in a regime of moderate density of scatterers. On the contrary, no signature of localization is found for white noise disorder. This is in striking contrast with scalar waves, which localize at high density whatever the amount of correlation. For correlated materials, localization is associated with the formation of pseudogap in the density of states. We develop two complementary models to explain these observations. The first one uses an effective photonic crystal-type framework and the second relies on a diagrammatic treatment of the multiple scattering sequences. We provide explicit theoretical evaluations of the density of states and localization length in good agreement with numerical simulations. In this way, we identify the microscopic processes at the origin of pseudogap formation and clarify the role of the density of states for wave localization in resonant correlated media. The generality of our framework makes possible to apply our predictions for a large variety of scattering systems including dielectric structures with high quality factor, cold atoms, artificial atoms, as well as microwave resonators.

Light propagation in a random three-dimensional ensemble of point scatterers in a waveguide: Size-dependent switching between diffuse radiation transfer and Anderson localization of light

Light transport in a disordered ensemble of resonant atoms placed in a waveguide is found to be very sensitive to the sizes of the cross section of a waveguide. Based on a self-consistent quantum microscopic model treating atoms as coherent radiating dipoles, we have shown that the nature of radiation transfer changes from Anderson localization regime in a single-mode waveguide to a traditional diffuse transfer in a multimode one. Moreover, the transmittance magnitude undergoes complicated steplike nonmonotonic dependence on the transverse sizes of a waveguide.

Topological transitions and Anderson localization of light in disordered atomic arrays

We explore the interplay of disorder and topological phenomena in honeycomb lattices of atoms coupled by the electromagnetic field. On the one hand, disorder can trigger transitions between distinct topological phases and drive the lattice into the topological Anderson insulator state. On the other hand, the nontrivial topology of the photonic band structure suppresses Anderson localization of modes that disorder introduces inside the band gap of the ideal lattice. Furthermore, we discover that disorder can both open a topological pseudogap in the spectrum of an otherwise topologically trivial system and introduce spatially localized modes inside it.

Anderson Light Localization in Medium with Random Refractive Index and Angle-Independent Color

Anderson Light Localization in Medium with Random Refractive Index and Angle-Independent Color

Self-consistent quantum field theory for the characterization of complex random media by short laser pulses

We present a quantum field theoretical method for the characterization of disordered complex media with short laser pulses in an optical coherence tomography setup (OCT). We solve this scheme of coherent transport in space and time with weighted essentially nonoscillatory methods (WENO). WENO is preferentially used for the determination of highly nonlinear and discontinuous processes including interference effects and phase transitions like Anderson localization of light. The theory determines spatiotemporal characteristics of the scattering mean free path and the transmission cross section that are directly measurable in time-of-flight (ToF) and pump-probe experiments. The results are a measure of the coherence of multiple scattering photons in passive as well as in optically soft random media. Our theoretical results of ToF are instructive in spectral regions where material characteristics such as the scattering mean free path and the diffusion coefficient are methodologically almost insensitive to gain or absorption and to higher-order nonlinear effects. Our method is applicable to OCT and other advanced spectroscopy setups including samples of strongly scattering mono- and polydisperse complex nano- and microresonators.

Disordered Nonlinear Metalens for Raman Spectral Nanoimaging.

Over the past decades, considerable progress has been made toward far-field optical imaging beyond the diffraction limit. However, most working proof-of-concepts are based on either time-consuming scanning of a subdiffraction focal spot over a sample or postrecovery treatment using a priori information on a sought image. To our knowledge, none of these can be regarded as being close to a perfect far-field superlensing system capable of real-time color imaging with subwavelength resolution. In this paper, we suggest a proof-of-concept for far-field nonlinear metalens that is made of a disordered metal-dielectric nanocomposite. Postoxidation of a refractory titanium nitride (TiN) thin film, used as a nonlinear plasmonic material, results in the formation of a titanium oxynitride (TiON) film comprising a mixture of multiple phases of TiOxNy. Due to a double epsilon-near-zero behavior near the percolation threshold, the TiON favors supercoupling of the incident light to surface plasmon resonance within the visible and near-infrared range. Point spread function narrowing is achieved owing to the multiplicative nature of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and enhanced third-order optical nonlinearity in TiN and TiO2 particle chains through plasmon resonances and Anderson localization of light, respectively. Combined with a conventional confocal optical microscope, the multimode metalens shows subwavelength resolution of λ/6NA at different visible wavelengths (SRS overtones) using multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a test sample. We are confident that our finding will bring us one step closer to developing a robust and versatile far-field super-resolution color imaging system and, eventually, implementing "eye-on-a-chip" technology.

Achieving a strongly negative scattering asymmetry factor in random media composed of dual-dipolar particles

Understanding radiative transfer in random media like micro/nanoporous and particulate materials, allows people to manipulate the scattering and absorption of radiation, as well as opens new possibilities in applications such as imaging through turbid media, photovoltaics and radiative cooling. A strong-backscattering phase function, i.e., a negative scattering asymmetry parameter $g$, is of great interest which can possibly achieve unusual radiative transport phenomena, for instance, Anderson localization of light. Based on the multipole expansion of Foldy-Lax equations and quasicrystalline approximation (QCA), we have rigorously derived analytical expressions for effective propagation constant and scattering phase function for a random system containing dual-dipolar particles, by taking the effect of structural correlations into account. Here we demonstrate that by utilizing structural correlations and the second Kerker condition for a disordered medium composed of randomly distributed silicon nanoparticles, a strongly negative scattering asymmetry factor ($g\sim-0.5$) for multiple light scattering can be realized in the near-infrared. As concentration of scattering particles rises, the backscattering is also enhanced. Moreover, we show that in this circumstance, transport mean free path is largely reduced and even smaller than that predicted by independent scattering approximation. We further explored the dependent scattering effects, including the modification of electric and magnetic dipole excitations and far-field interference effect, both induced by the structural correlations, for volume fraction of particles up to $f_v\sim0.25$. Our results have profound implications in harnessing micro/nanoscale radiative transfer through random media.

Anderson light localization in biological nanostructures of native silk

Light in biological media is known as freely diffusing because interference is negligible. Here, we show Anderson light localization in quasi-two-dimensional protein nanostructures produced by silkworms (Bombyx mori). For transmission channels in native silk, the light flux is governed by a few localized modes. Relative spatial fluctuations in transmission quantities are proximal to the Anderson regime. The sizes of passive cavities (smaller than a single fibre) and the statistics of modes (decomposed from excitation at the gain–loss equilibrium) differentiate silk from other diffusive structures sharing microscopic morphological similarity. Because the strong reflectivity from Anderson localization is combined with the high emissivity of the biomolecules in infra-red radiation, silk radiates heat more than it absorbs for passive cooling. This collective evidence explains how a silkworm designs a nanoarchitectured optical window of resonant tunnelling in the physically closed structures, while suppressing most of transmission in the visible spectrum and emitting thermal radiation.

Lasing Interactions Disclose Hidden Modes of Necklace States in the Anderson Localized Regime

Anderson light localization is known to be minimally affected by nonlinearity (e.g., gain), as a lasing mode typically arises from an isolated localized mode in a passive system. However, in the Anderson localized regime of low-dimensional systems, local resonances can occasionally experience strong level overlap and form an asymmetric single line, which is also known as necklace states. This case is not a hypothetically rare event and indeed is not uncommon. For such passive transport, we experimentally and theoretically investigate how nonlinearity affects necklace states in multilayered systems. When gain or amplifying media are introduced in a system, an asymmetric line splits into multiple lasing peaks, interacting with one another. By decomposing field spectra into a sum of Lorentzian lines, we find that diverging lasing peaks arise from quasimodes; in turn the lifetime and degree of level overlap of the underlying quasimodes are strongly attributed to the threshold and spectral behavior of the emer...

Anderson Localization of Visible Light on a Nanophotonic Chip

Technological advances allow the control of light at the nanoscale and to strongly enhance the light–matter interaction in highly engineered devices. Enhancing the light–matter interaction is needed for applications in research areas such as quantum technology, energy harvesting, sensing, and biophotonics. Here, we show that a different approach, based on the use of disorder, rather than the precise engineering of the devices, and fabrication imperfections as a resource, can allow the efficient trapping of visible light on a chip. We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, Anderson localization of light at visible wavelengths in a nanophotonic chip. Remarkably, we prove that disorder-induced localization is more efficient in confining visible light than highly engineered optical cavities, thus reversing the trend observed so far. We measure light-confinement quality factors approaching 10 000 that are significantly higher than values previously reported in two-dimensional photonic crystal caviti...

Random Lasing at Localization Transition in a Colloidal Suspension (TiO2@Silica).

Anderson localization of light and random lasing in this critical regime is an open research frontier, which besides being a basic research topic could also lead to important applications. This article investigates the random laser action at the localization transition in a strongly disordered scattering medium composed of a colloidal suspension of core–shell nanoparticles (TiO2@Silica) in ethanol solution of Rhodamine 6G. The classical superfluorescence band of the random laser was measured separately by collecting the emission at the back of the samples, showing a linear dependence with pumping fluence without gain depletion. However, frontal collection showed saturation of the absorption and emission. Narrow peaks of approximately equal intensity are observed on top of the classical superfluorescence band, indicating suppression of the interaction between the peaks modes. The linewidth of these peaks is lower than that of the passive modes of the scattering medium. A method called fraction of absorbed pumping allowed us to infer that this peak’s mode (localized modes) is confined to a shallow region near the input-pumping border.

Figures-of-merit of Anderson localization cavities in membrane-based periodic-on-average random templates

Anderson localization of light is an exotic mesoscopic phenomenon sustained in disordered systems through the self-interference of multiply scattered light. The localized modes are essentially eigenfunctions of the structural disorder, and define the resonances in the system. In this paper, we report on the computed figures-of-merit of Anderson cavities in two-dimensional membrane based structures, in which the disorder is written on a periodic-on-average template. We propose a disorder parameter that better reflects the randomization of the lattice points as compared to the conventionally used percentage disorder strength. Our results investigate the viability of such cavities in applications such as random lasing and cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Diffraction engineering Anderson localization of light in nonlinear waveguide array with Kerr and two photon absorption effects

Role of two-photon absorption (TPA) effect on light propagation in one-dimensional nonlinear waveguide array (NWA) is studied numerically with solving nonlinear Schrodinger equation. Our investigation includes unperturbed, diagonally and off-diagonally disordered NWA with inclusion of Kerr and TPA and the results are compared with each other. The simulations show that the increase of incident wave amplitude to NWA intensifies TPA and Kerr effects and these nonlinear optical effects, dramatically affect the output intensity profile and loss. Variations of intensity distribution in periodic NWA is about two and three times higher than in off-diagonal and diagonal disordered NWA, respectively. It means that localization of light in periodic NWA is more tunable than disordered lattices. These variations of intensity distribution under nonlinear optical effects enable us to propose and design a reconfigurable localization and diffraction-engineered discrete soliton.

(Invited) Electrically Pumped Lasers and Light Emitting Diodes in the Ultraviolet-C Band with AlGaN Nanowires

Ultraviolet (UV) light sources, including light emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers, with emission wavelengths less than 280 nm (UV-C band) are critically important for a wide range of applications including water purification, disinfection, data storage, medical diagnosis, and bio/chemical sensing. To date, the development of such light sources with aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) has been severely limited by the presence of large dislocation densities and the extremely inefficient p-type doping. In addition, the intrinsic TM light polarization of Al-rich AlGaN prohibits the light extraction from conventional c-plane wurtzite structures. In this context, we have investigated the molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth and characterization of nearly defect-free AlGaN nanowires on Si. We have demonstrated, for the first time, electrically injected lasers in the UV-C band, which exhibit a threshold current density of 0.2 kA/cm2. By exploiting the efficient light scattering among nanowire arrays, we have also demonstrated high efficiency AlN nanowire LEDs with emission wavelength ~ 207 nm. In this experiment, the AlGaN nanowires were spontaneously formed on Si substrate by radio-frequency plasma-assisted MBE without using any foreign metal catalyst. The laser device structure consisted of n-GaN contact layer, n-AlGaN cladding layer, AlGaN active region, p-AlGaN cladding layer, and p-GaN contact layer. The optical cavity was formed by the Anderson localization of light, due to the recurrent multiple scattering of photons in random nanowire arrays. The fabrication process involved standard optical lithography and contact metallization techniques. The lasers operated under continuous wave (CW) biasing conditions. The electroluminescence emission was collected from the device top surface by a CCD camera coupled to a high-resolution spectrometer. A lasing peak around 262 nm was clearly measured at 77 K, with a threshold current density of 0.2 kA/cm2. This is the first demonstration of electrically injected semiconductor lasers in the deep UV wavelength range. Detailed studies further showed that the self-organized AlGaN nanowires exhibited extensive atomic scale compositional modulation. The extremely low threshold current is directly related to the three-dimensional quantum confinement of charge carriers by the quantum dot/dash-like nanostructures in nearly defect-free AlGaN nanowires. We have further investigated deep UV LEDs based on self-organized AlGaN nanowires. In this study, the device structure consisted of n-GaN contact layer, n-Al(Ga)N, i-Al(Ga)N, p-Al(Ga)N, and p-(Al)GaN contact layers. Strong electroluminescence at 207 nm was measured at room-temperature from LEDs fabricated with AlN. Furthermore, detailed angle dependent electroluminescence studies indicated that the dominant light emission direction was from the c-axially grown nanowire top surface, due to the efficient light scattering amongst nanowires, in spite of TM light polarization in AlN. Moreover, an electrical efficiency of > 85% was realized from such AlN nanowire LEDs, which can be largely ascribed to the hole hopping conduction in the impurity band hopping. In addition, our detailed studies further indicated that the performance of AlN nanowire LEDs was largely limited by electron overflow.

Anderson localization of light in disordered superlattices containing graphene layers

We theoretically investigate light propagation and Anderson localization in one-dimensional disordered superlattices composed of dielectric stacks with graphene sheets in between. Disorder is introduced either on graphene material parameters ({\it e.g.} Fermi energy) or on the widths of the dielectric stacks. We derive an analytic expression for the localization length $\xi$, and compare it to numerical simulations using transfer matrix technique; a very good agreement is found. We demonstrate that the presence of graphene may strongly attenuate the anomalously delocalised Breswter modes, and is at the origin of a periodic dependence of $\xi$ on frequency, in contrast to the usual asymptotic decay, $\xi \propto \omega^{-2}$. By unveiling the effects of graphene on Anderson localization of light, we pave the way for new applications of graphene-based, disordered photonic devices in the THz spectral range.

Abnormal anti-Stokes Raman scattering and coherent backscattering as manifestation of Anderson localization of light in nonlinear mesoscopic materials

We demonstrate that under continuous single-beam excitation, one can generate an abnormal anti-Stokes Raman emission (AASRE) whose properties are similar to a coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering. The effect has been observed in mesoscopic materials, which possess intrinsically nonlinear properties [lithium niobate (LiNbO3), bismuth germanium oxide (Bi12GeO20; BGO), bismuth silicon oxide (Bi12GeO20; BSO)], which have a nonzero electric susceptibility of the third order, χ(3)≠0. Corroborated Raman and coherent backscattering studies demonstrate that the occurrence of both effects is conditioned by the existence of a mesoscopic morphology of the sample, which is able to ensure efficient transport of the light inside the sample through a multiple light scattering mechanism. In this context, both AASRE and coherent backscattering effects are because of the Anderson localization of the light.