Relation between transmission eigenchannels and single-channel optimizing modes in a disordered medium

Abstract

The wave transport through disordered media, although a random process, has some universal physical properties. One of these properties that has been investigated in this report is the relation between transmission eigenchannels and the so-called single-channel optimizing mode, which maximizes the intensity of the transmitted wave at a single specific output channel. Since single-channel optimizing modes have higher transmittance than the uncontrolled waves, it has been predicted before that transmission eigenchannels with higher transmittance preferentially contribute to the single-channel optimizing modes in proportion to the square of eigenvalues. In this Letter, we report the experimental validation of this prediction by measuring cross-correlation between the single-channel optimizing modes and the transmission eigenchannels. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America