Western Europe Regional Program: Light Localization and Photonic Gaps in Random and Periodic Materials

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This award will help to promote U.S.-Greece collaboration between Prof. Costas Soukoulis of Iowa State University and Prof. E.N. Economou of the University of Crete. The aim of the proposed work is to conduct research in the area of disordered systems; in particular, to understand the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the localization of light and other classical waves in random systems. Until recently, most of the work on localization has focused on electronic systems. Classical wave localization offers both the potential for a direct check of localization theory as well as the possibility of understanding other characteristics distinct from those of electrons. However, strong localization of light has not been experimentally observed yet. What these experienced collaborators intend to do is to improve our theoretical understanding of the conditions under which localization of light, or more generally, electromagnetic waves, can occur and make available several configurations that will improve the search for the effect.