Anderson localization in metamaterials and other complex media

• Published in: Физика низких температур
• Date: 2012
• Main Authors: Gredeskul, S.A., Asatryan, A.A., Bliokh, K.Y., Bliokh, Y.P., Freilikher, V.D., Shadrivov, I.V., Kivshar, Y.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Фізико-технічний інститут низьких температур ім. Б.І. Вєркіна НАН України 2012
• Subjects: Оптика и магнитооптика
• Online Access: https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/117269
• Journal Title: Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
• Cite this: Anderson localization in metamaterials and other
 complex media / S.A. Gredeskul, Y.S. Kivshar, A.A. Asatryan, K.Y. Bliokh, Y.P. Bliokh, V.D. Freilikher, I.V. Shadrivov // Физика низких температур. — 2012. — Т. 38, № 7. — С. 728-765. — Бібліогр.: 110 назв. — англ.

We review some recent (mostly ours) results on the Anderson localization of light and electron waves in
 complex disordered systems, including: (i) left-handed metamaterials, (ii) magnetoactive optical structures, (iii)
 graphene superlattices, and (iv) nonlinear dielectric media. First, we demonstrate that left-handed metamaterials
 can significantly suppress localization of light and lead to an anomalously enhanced transmission. This suppression
 is essential at the long-wavelength limit in the case of normal incidence, at specific angles of oblique incidence
 (Brewster anomaly), and in the vicinity of the zero-ε or zero-μ frequencies for dispersive metamaterials.
 Remarkably, in disordered samples comprised of alternating normal and left-handed metamaterials, the reciprocal
 Lyapunov exponent and reciprocal transmittance increment can differ from each other. Second, we study
 magnetoactive multilayered structures, which exhibit nonreciprocal localization of light depending on the direction
 of propagation and on the polarization. At resonant frequencies or realizations, such nonreciprocity results in
 effectively unidirectional transport of light. Third, we discuss the analogy between the wave propagation through
 multilayered samples with metamaterials and the charge transport in graphene, which enables a simple physical
 explanation of unusual conductive properties of disordered graphene superlatices. We predict disorder-induced
 resonances of the transmission coefficient at oblique incidence of the Dirac quasiparticles. Finally, we demonstrate
 that an interplay of nonlinearity and disorder in dielectric media can lead to bistability of individual localized
 states excited inside the medium at resonant frequencies. This results in nonreciprocity of the wave transmission
 and unidirectional transport of light.