Abstract

The multiple scattering of light from random systems has recently become a subject of intense activity.¹ The major incentive for experimentation in this new field came from the realization that the concepts of localization and universal fluctuations, that have been so successfully used in the description of electron transport phenomena, can also be applied to the description of multiple light scattering in a random system. This realization has led to numerous investigations of photon transport and scattering in disordered solids and liquids, and to the discovery of a wide range of unexpected phenomena. Here we present a review of the results of our group in this exciting new field, and conclude with a discussion of the prospects of demonstrating the strong localization of light, i.e. a photon trap.

© 1988 Optical Society of America