Strong localization of light in two-dimensional disordered dielectric media

By numerically integrating Maxwell's equations in space and time we study the propagation of light of frequency ω emitted radially from a line source in an infinite dielectric medium with transverse disorder, i.e. disorder in only the two directions perpendicular to the line source. We show that such a system displays strong localization of light by demonstrating that the electromagnetic energy stored between consecutive pairs of cylinders, of radii mΔR and (m + 1) ΔR, where m=0, 1, 2, ..., cente tered on the line source decreases exponentially with increasing m. This behavior contrasts with the lack of exponential decay in the stored electromagnetic energy as a function of mΔR when the line source is embedded in a dielectric medium that is periodic in each of the two directions perpendicular to it.