Propagation of Light in Colloidal Crystals: Photonic Band Structure and Localization

本文是对无序光学超晶格中光子能带结构及其对光局域化影响的实验研究。在胶体晶体中，光子能带结构将被测量在电磁光谱的可见部分。在具有高折射率对比度的晶体中，可以通过引入适当的无序来实现光子局域化。皮秒飞行时间、相干后向散射和散斑光谱学将用于研究这些材料中的光子传输。这一研究结果将有助于理解经典波在随机介质中的局域化和输运性质，以及无序导体中的电子局域化问题。

This is an experimental investigation of photonic band structure and its effects on localization of light in disordered optical superlattices. Photonic band structure will be measured in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum in colloidal crystals. In crystals with high refractive index contrast, photon localization will be pursued by introduction of appropriate disorder. Picosecond time-of-flight, coherent backscattering, and speckle spectroscopy will be among the probes used to examine photon transport in these materials. The results of this research will advance the understanding of localization and transport properties of classical waves in random media as well as electron localization in disordered conductors.