Modal complexity as a metric for Anderson localization

Abstract

We present a thorough study of the complexity of optical localized modes in two-dimensional disordered photonic crystals. Direct experimental measurements of complexity were made using an interferometric setup that allowed for extraction of phases and, hence, complex-valued wavefunctions. The comparison of experimental and theoretical results allows us to propose a metric for Anderson localization based on the average value and statistical distribution of complexity. Being an alternative to other known criteria of localization, the proposed metric exploits the openness of the disordered medium and provides a quantitative characterization of the degree of localization allowing for determining the localization length.