Physicists Unravel Mystery of Trapped Waves and Localizing Light in 3D

Researchers have used advanced computing to solve a decades-long mystery about the potential for optical waves to be trapped in three-dimensional structures of randomly packed micro- or nanoparticles. The study found that light can be trapped or “localized” in random packings of metallic spheres, paving the way for potential developments in lasers and photocatalysts. The research opens new possibilities for enhancing optical nonlinearities, light-matter interactions, and controlling random lasing as well as targeted energy deposition.