Electro-optic controllable disordered photonic crystal for Anderson localization of light in real time

Abstract: Anderson localization is a ubiquitous interference phenomenon in which waves fail to propagate in a disordered medium. Unlike in a classical resonator, satisfying the favorable condition for the interference in a disordered medium is truly a statistical problem in physics. Recent progress in realizing Anderson localization is mainly limited to the iterative method for optimizing the disordered medium. Availability of an in-situ, active control for optimization surely paves the way of realizing the Anderson localization and its applications. In this letter, we have proposed an electro-optic controllable disordered photonic crystal and demonstrated its performance in terms of Anderson localization of light in situ in real time by application of an external electric field. We believe that Anderson localization using this medium is not only expected to address the scientific rigors but also to introduce an extra degree of freedom i.e., the tunability in its technical applications.