Light propagation management by disorder and nonlinearity in one-dimensional photonic lattices

We study managing of light beam propagation by competing disorder and nonlinearity in one-dimensional disordered, nonlinear photonic lattices (PLs). The system is modeled by a paraxial time-independent Helmholtz equation, which includes the nonlinear saturable self-interacting term and the quenched or nonquenched disordered PL potential. Diverse PL structures with alternating length of the regular and disordered parts are investigated showing the possibility to change the light propagation from ballistic to the propagation of the transversely localized structures originating from the Anderson-like localization or self-trapping mechanism. Dynamical calculations indicate the possibility of guiding light through the lattice by proper lattice management. (C) 2013 Optical Society of Americ