Transport through Amorphous Photonic Materials with Localization and Bandgap Regimes

Phys Rev Lett. 2022 Oct 7;129(15):157402. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.157402.

Abstract

We propose a framework that unifies the description of light transmission through three-dimensional amorphous dielectric materials that exhibit both localization and a photonic bandgap. We argue that direct, 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 the total transmission of light for all transport regimes: transparency, light diffusion, localization, and bandgap. Comparison with numerical simulations of light transport through hyperuniform networks supports our theoretical approach.