Programmable branched flow of light
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arXiv
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| Auteurs principaux: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866908775881900032 |
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| author | Chang, Shan-shan Xiong, Daxing Zheng, Ze-huan Wang, Li-Wei Lu, Yan-qing Chen, Lu-Jian Jiang, Jian-Hua Chen, Jin-hui |
| author_facet | Chang, Shan-shan Xiong, Daxing Zheng, Ze-huan Wang, Li-Wei Lu, Yan-qing Chen, Lu-Jian Jiang, Jian-Hua Chen, Jin-hui |
| contents | We demonstrate deterministic control of branched flow of light using anisotropic nematic liquid crystals. By sculpting the director field via photoalignment, we create spatially programmable optical potentials that govern light scattering and propagation. This platform enables configurable, anisotropic branched flow of light and reveals a universal scaling law for its characteristic features, directly connecting disordered photonics with mesoscopic wave transport. Under extreme anisotropy, we observe a pronounced directional channeling effect, driven by anomalous symmetry-breaking velocity diffusion, which concentrates light propagation along preferential directions while suppressing transverse spreading. These findings establish a tunable material platform for harnessing branched flow of light, opening pathways toward on-chip photonic circuits that exploit disorder-guided transport, scattering-resilient endoscopic imaging, and adaptive optical interfaces in complex media. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_13623 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Programmable branched flow of light Chang, Shan-shan Xiong, Daxing Zheng, Ze-huan Wang, Li-Wei Lu, Yan-qing Chen, Lu-Jian Jiang, Jian-Hua Chen, Jin-hui Optics Disordered Systems and Neural Networks Statistical Mechanics We demonstrate deterministic control of branched flow of light using anisotropic nematic liquid crystals. By sculpting the director field via photoalignment, we create spatially programmable optical potentials that govern light scattering and propagation. This platform enables configurable, anisotropic branched flow of light and reveals a universal scaling law for its characteristic features, directly connecting disordered photonics with mesoscopic wave transport. Under extreme anisotropy, we observe a pronounced directional channeling effect, driven by anomalous symmetry-breaking velocity diffusion, which concentrates light propagation along preferential directions while suppressing transverse spreading. These findings establish a tunable material platform for harnessing branched flow of light, opening pathways toward on-chip photonic circuits that exploit disorder-guided transport, scattering-resilient endoscopic imaging, and adaptive optical interfaces in complex media. |
| title | Programmable branched flow of light |
| topic | Optics Disordered Systems and Neural Networks Statistical Mechanics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.13623 |