Anderson Localization in Photonic Time Crystals

Abstract: Solutions of the wave equations for time-independent disordered media can exhibit Anderson localization where instead of wave propagation we observe their localization around different points in space. Photonic time crystals are spatially homogeneous media in which the refractive index changes periodically in time, leading to the formation of bands in the wave number domain. By analogy to Anderson localization in space, one might expect that the presence of temporal disorder in photonic time crystals would lead to Anderson localization in the time domain. Here, we show that indeed periodic modulations of the refractive index with the addition of temporal disorder lead to Anderson localization in time, where an electromagnetic field can emerge from the temporally modulated medium at a certain moment in time and then decay exponentially over time. Thus, we are dealing with a situation where, in a fluctuating three-dimensional medium, the birth and death of waves can occur, and the mechanism of this phenomenon corresponds to Anderson localization.