Photon transport measurements in dense random media

Recent results of photon transport measurements in highly multiple-scattering random media will be presented. Time-resolved transmission of picosecond laser pulses, coherent backscattering, and laser speckle statistics are several of the experimental probes being used to examine factors that influence photon transport and localization. The effects of spatial correlations among scatterers on the transport mean-free-path lengths obtained from time-resolved transmission and extinction compare favorably with corrections introduced into the Mie formalism via a static structure factor. Transport parameters determined from coherent back-scattering have been significantly improved by current theoretical models for samples with high surface reflectivity. Finally, new applications of laser speckle to the study of dense random media will be discussed. The recent advances in this field, including improved understanding of photon transport probes, should facilitate the search for localization of light in disordered optical superlattices.