Thick random samples like human skin, white paint or clouds, are opaque, as most of the light that illuminates them is backscattered. We develop methods to cancel the effect of scattering for imaging and communication application

Open channels in opaque samples

Random samples induce scattering of light. When the sample is thick, most of the light is backscattered and the sample seems opaque. Remarkably, however, three decades ago theorists have predicted the existence of channels in random media (coined open channels), through which 100% of the light can be transmitted. Despite being a universal wave phenomenon predicted for many different kinds of wave systems, open channels have hardly been realized to date. We developed a new platform for studying the physics of open channels, based on random multimode optical fibers. Full control over all the modes of the optical fibers allows us to selectively excite open channels and study their statistical properties.