In an impressive scientific breakthrough, Yale University researchers have achieved a milestone that may change our understanding of the physics of light and electromagnetic waves. They have succeeded in demonstrating that light waves can be ‘trapped’ or ‘frozen’ in three-dimensional structures, a phenomenon known as Anderson’s location.
Anderson’s Location
Anderson’s location is a physical concept that describes how the conductivity of a material is affected by the number of imperfections or random defects in it. This theory, proposed in 1958 by Philip Anderson, has been an enigma in condensed matter physics for decades, especially in terms of the possibility of achieving Anderson localization in three dimensions.
The innovative study
The team led by Prof. Hui Cao has finally shown that the three-dimensional (3D) localization of electromagnetic waves is possible. To accomplish this feat, the researchers used software developed by Flexcompute, a company renowned for its Tidy3D software that speeds up numerical solutions.
The software allowed the researchers to simulate several different random configurations, system sizes, and structural parameters. The results showed that Anderson localization cannot occur in dielectric materials such as glass or silicon, which explains why previous attempts to demonstrate this phenomenon had failed.
Crucial Discovery: Light Can Be Trapped in Metallic Spheres
The most significant finding of the study was that the metallic spheres did show localization. Despite the light-absorbing properties of metals, the researchers were able to demonstrate Anderson’s localization. They observed this phenomenon even considering the inherent light absorption of common metals such as aluminum, silver, and copper.
Implications and future developments
This discovery opens a new field of research in the areas of lasers, photocatalysts and Anderson localization. The fact that light can be “trapped” in these three-dimensional materials could change the way we see and use light in many aspects of technology.
This research has shown that Anderson localization is a robust phenomenon, capable of overcoming the challenges posed by light absorption. Gone are the doubts about the existence of Anderson’s location in three dimensions, opening the way to a bright future of new possibilities.
More information in Nature Physics.
