Intrinsic photonic wave localization in a three-dimensional icosahedral quasicrystal

Wave transport is one of the most interesting topics related to quasicrystals. This is due to the fact that the translational symmetry strongly governs the transport properties of every form of wave. Although quasiperiodic structures with or without disorder have been studied, a clear mechanism for wave transport in three-dimensional quasicrystals including localization is missing. To study the intrinsic quasiperiodic effects on wave transport, the time invariance of the lattice structure and the loss-free condition must be controlled. Here, using finite-difference methods, we study the diffusive-like transport and localization of photonic waves in a three-dimensional icosahedral quasicrystal without additional disorder. This result appears at odds with the well-known theory of wave localization (Anderson localization), but we found that in quasicrystals the short mean free path of the photonic waves makes localization possible. © 2017 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved.