Persistent random walk on a site-disordered one-dimensional lattice: Photon subdiffusion

Abstract

We study the persistent random walk of photons on a one-dimensional lattice of random transmittances. Transmittances at different sites are assumed independent, distributed according to a given probability density $f(t)$. Depending on the behavior of $f(t)$ near $t=0$, diffusive and subdiffusive transports are predicted by the disorder expansion of the mean square-displacement and the effective medium approximation. Monte Carlo simulations confirm the anomalous diffusion of photons. To observe photon subdiffusion experimentally, we suggest a dielectric film stack for realization of a distribution $f(t)$.