We propose a framework that unifies the description of light transport in three-dimensional amorphous dielectric materials that exhibit both localization and a photonic bandgap. To this end, we argue that coherent reflection near and in the bandgap attenuates the generation of diffuse or localized photons. Using the self-consistent theory of localization and considering the density of states of photons, we can quantitatively describe all transport regimes: Transparency, light diffusion, localization, and bandgap. Comparing the model with numerical data on optical transport in hyperuniform dielectric networks confirms our findings.
Categories: physics.optics cond-mat.dis-nn cond-mat.mes-hall cond-mat.soft