Disordered Dielectric Media with Structural Correlations: Light Transport, Photonic Bandgaps, and Localization Phenomena – Frank Scheffold, University of Fribourg
In this talk, I will present recent results from numerical simulations and experiments on low- and high-index contrast dielectrics, including hyperuniform networks, structurally colored foams, and photonic glasses composed of spherical particles. To comprehensively describe light scattering and transport in these complex materials, we propose a heuristic theoretical framework that considers phenomena across multiple characteristic length scales: the scattering mean free path, the Bragg length, and the localization length. This approach offers a unified perspective on the coupling of light into dielectric media exhibiting photonic bandgaps or strong single-scattering reflection.