Griffiths anomalous absorption in sparse-loss photonic lattices
Abstract
Light absorption in photonic lattices with sparsely distributed loss sites exhibits behavior analogous to Griffiths physics. Under uniform excitation, the transmitted power shows a stretched-exponential decay and a non-monotonic dependence on the loss strength, with an optimal loss rate that maximizes absorption. This behavior arises from rare, long loss-free segments that act as weakly coupled, long-lived photonic channels, rather than from exceptional point physics or interference effects. Using a minimal tight-binding model with binary quenched dissipation, we show that rare regions produce a universal Griffiths-type subexponential decay. Sparse-loss photonic lattices thus provide an accessible platform to observe disorder-induced anomalous absorption and rare-region Griffiths physics.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Photonic Crystals and Applications
Nonlinear Photonic Systems
Random lasers and scattering media
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Optics Letters
- Publisher
- Optica Publishing Group
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 14
- Pages
- 4068–4068
- Publication date
- 6 July 2026
- Language
- EN