Enhancing light transmission through a random medium with inhomogeneous scattering and loss

Abstract: We enhanced the total transmission of light through a disordered waveguide with spatially inhomogeneous scattering and loss by shaping the incident wavefront of a laser beam. Using an on-chip tapered lead, we were able to access all input modes in the waveguide with a spatial light modulator. The adaptive wavefront shaping resulted in selective coupling of input light to high transmission channels, which bypassed the regions of higher scattering and loss in the waveguide. The spatial inhomogeneity of scattering and loss led to redirecting of energy flux to optical paths with less scattering and loss to maximize total energy transported through the system. This work demonstrated the power of wavefront shaping in coherent control of light transport in inhomogeneous scattering media, which are common in real applications.