Localization properties of photonic modes in disordered nonlinear-Kerr/metamaterial heterostructures

The localization properties of electromagnetic waves in one-dimensional disordered nonlinear-Kerr/metamaterial heterostructures are investigated. Structural disorder is introduced via a random fluctuation of layer widths of both nonlinear-Kerr and metamaterial slabs composing the photonic heterostructure. For frequency values in the vicinity of the zero−n gap, multiple electromagnetic modes with different transmission lengths are obtained for a given value of the Kerr defocusing nonlinearity power. Maximum-delocalized photonic states, which are associated with high-transmission electromagnetic modes corresponding to gap-soliton waves, are found to be quite sensitive with respect to the degree of disorder. Moreover, we have found that inclusion of absorption effects leads, as expected, to a decreasing of the transmission length. •Localization properties of disordered Kerr-metamaterial heterostructures are investigated.•Structural disorder is introduced via a random fluctuation of layer widths.•Maximum-delocalized photonic states found to be sensitive with respect to disorder.•Absorption and disorder effects lead to the decrease of the transmission length.