Roles of cooperative effects and disorder in photon localization: the case of a vector radiation field

Abstract: We numerically study photon escape rates from three-dimensional atomic gases and investigate the respective roles of cooperative effects and disorder in photon localization, while taking into account the vectorial nature of light. A scaling behavior is observed for the escape rates, and photons undergo a crossover from delocalization toward localization as the optical thickness of the cloud is increased. This result indicates that light localization is dominated by cooperative effects rather than disorder. We compare our results with those obtained in the case of a scalar radiation field and find no significant differences. We conclude that the scalar model constitutes an excellent approximation when considering photon escape rates from atomic gases. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]