Small-world networks of optical fiber lattices

Abstract

We use a simple dynamical model and explore coherent dynamics of wavepackets in complex networks of optical fibers. We start from a symmetric lattice and through the application of a Monte-Carlo criterion we introduce structural disorder and deform the lattice into a small-world network regime. We investigate in the latter both structural (correlation length) as well as dynamical (diffusion exponent) properties and find that both exhibit a rapid crossover from the ordered to the fully random regime. For a critical value of the structural disorder parameter $\rho \approx 0.25$ transport changes from ballistic to sub-diffusive due to the creation strongly connected local clusters and channels of preferential transport in the small world regime.