TY  - JOUR
N2  - It is widely accepted that, on ensemble average, the transmission T of guided modes decays exponentially with the waveguide length L due to small imperfections, leading to the important figure of merit defined as the attenuation-rate coefficient alpha = -< ln(T)>/L. In this Letter, we evidence that the exponential-damping law is not valid in general for periodic monomode waveguides, especially as the group velocity decreases. This result, that contradicts common beliefs and experimental practices aiming at measuring alpha, is supported by a theoretical study of light transport in the limit of very small imperfections, and by numerical results obtained for two waveguide geometries that offer contrasted damping behaviors.
KW  - SLOW LIGHT
KW  -  DISORDER
A1  - Baron, A
A1  - Mazoyer, S
A1  - Smigaj, W
A1  - Lalanne, P
SN  - 0031-9007
IS  - 15
AV  - public
Y1  - 2011/10/05/
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.153901
ID  - discovery1338436
N1  - © 2011 American Physical Society
TI  - Attenuation Coefficient of Single-Mode Periodic Waveguides
VL  - 107
JF  - PHYS REV LETT
PB  - AMER PHYSICAL SOC
ER  -