Statistics dependent spectral properties of random arrays of particles

Abstract

The ability to tailor the spectral response of photonic devices is paramount to the advancement of a broad range of applications. The vast design space offered by disordered optical media provide enhanced functionality for spectral tailoring, although it is challenging to map the spectral properties of such complex systems to their structural attributes. In this work, we investigate correlations between the statistics underlying the structure of random arrays of particles and their spectral properties. We consider 1D and 2D arrays of dielectric nanorods suspended in vacuum and numerically study their optical scattering properties in the visible wavelength range. We show that the scattering cross section of a random particle array is primarily governed by its configuration statistics and is independent of its exact instantiation or the number of its constituent particles. We further exploit the strong correlations between the statistics and spectral properties of random particle arrays to predict their spectral response. By using a semi-analytical nearest neighbor coupling model, we produce accurate qualitative estimates of the spectral responses of both one and two-dimensional random arrays for different configuration statistics. The results presented in this manuscript will open new avenues for optimizing large-scale random systems to achieve enhanced optical functionalities for a wide variety of applications.