Using geometry to manipulate long-range correlation of light inside disordered media

Abstract

We demonstrate experimentally that long-range intensity correlation for light propagating inside random photonic waveguides can be modified by changing the shape of the waveguide. The functional form of spatial correlation is no longer universal in the regime of diffusive transport and becomes shape-dependent due to the non-local nature of wave propagation. The spatial dependence of the correlation may be asymmetric for light incident from opposite ends of the waveguide. This work opens the door to control non-local effects in mesoscopic transport of waves by manipulating the geometry of random systems.