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  • Featured in Physics
  • Open Access

Stealthy-Hyperuniform Wave Dynamics in Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystals

Maria Barsukova1,*, Zeyu Zhang1,*, Brian Gould1,*, Koorosh Sadri1, Christian Rosiek1,2, Søren Stobbe2, Jonas Karcher1,3, and Mikael C. Rechtsman1,†

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: mcrworld@psu.edu
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Phys. Rev. X 16, 021028 – Published 7 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/8bz9-5g8s

Abstract

Hyperuniform structures are spatial patterns whose fluctuations disappear on long length scales, making them effectively homogeneous when observed from afar. Mathematically, this means that their spectral density ρ˜(k) approaches zero for low wave number |k|. Crystalline lattices are hyperuniform, as are certain quasicrystals, maximally random jammed packings of spheres, and electrons in the fractional quantum Hall state. Stealthy hyperuniformity is an even stronger constraint on the spectral density: It requires that ρ˜(k) is strictly zero in a finite range of wave vectors around k=0, called the stealthy regime, or exclusion region. Since the degree of scattering by disorder is, to leading order, proportional to ρ˜(k), waves propagating through such structures may do so without scattering for sufficiently long wavelengths and short distances. Here, we measure scattering by disorder in photonic crystal slabs with stealthy-hyperuniform disorder by measuring the linewidths of the photonic bands. We observe the transition between the stealthy and nonstealthy regimes, marked by a sharp increase in linewidth. We also observe the effects of multiple scattering in the stealthy regime, which implies diminishing transparency. Moreover, we show that residual single scattering in the stealthy regime arises from an intrinsically non-Hermitian effect: Propagating light has a complex effective mass due to radiative loss out of the slab.

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synopsis

Surprising Scattering in Stealthy Structures

Published 7 May, 2026

Experiments shed light on the uncertain optical response of so-called stealthy hyperuniform materials.

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Disorder has long shaped our understanding of wave transport in solid-state systems, but it is typically modeled as an uncorrelated spatial variation where each point acts independently. Here, we experimentally probe strongly correlated stealthy-hyperuniform disorder by measuring the scattering losses in extremely large two-dimensional silicon photonic crystal slabs. Although this type of disorder suppresses density fluctuations on long length scales and is expected to be largely transparent for a corresponding range of wavelengths, we observe residual single scattering in the stealthy regime. We demonstrate that this unexpected scattering arises from an intrinsically non-Hermitian effect where propagating light acquires a complex effective mass due to radiative loss out of the slab. We anticipate that exploring these strongly spatially correlated disorder phenomena can ultimately inform wave-transport applications across electronic, acoustic, and hybrid wave platforms.

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Phys. Rev. X 16, 021028– Published 7 May, 2026
  • Received 22 August 2025
  • Accepted 13 March 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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