Anderson localization of near-visible light in two dimensions

We report on the observation of Anderson localization of near-visible light in two-dimensional systems. Our structures consist of planar waveguides in which disorder is introduced by randomly placing pores with controlled diameter and density. We show how to design structures in which localization can be observed and describe both the realization of the materials and the actual observation of Anderson localized modes by near-field scanning microscopy. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America