High-quality optical modes in low-dimensional arrays of nanoparticles: application to random lasers

The optical modes in finite partially ordered arrays of dielectric particles are studied within the coupled dipole approach. It is shown that high-quality modes can be attained under conditions of small enough interparticle distance when the light-cone constraint is satisfied. We performed analytical and numerical investigations of these modes to determine their dependence on system size, dimensionality, and extent of disordering. The opportunity to use these modes to make high-performance random lasers is discussed. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.