Selective-frequency-gap-induced negative anisotropic scattering in designer photonic structures with short-range order

Optimizing scattering is the most sought-after goal in wave transport through photonic structures, which opens up many physical processes with prospective applications. Here, we uncover the appearance of a tunable frequency gap with negative anisotropic scattering (g) values in the visible wavelength range using photonic structures with short-range order. A scattering model is devised based on the structural morphology of samples to explain the wavelength-dependent frequency gap and the g values. We show complete agreement between the experiment and theory, which is supported by the structure factor calculations. Specifically, we find a g value of-0.7 ± 0.2 at the frequency gap in accordance with theoretical calculations. The study puts forward an amenable approach for tailoring the scattering anisotropy values using photonic structure with short-range order and thus mediates an inclination toward the localization.