The bandwidth of disordered 1D systems

Wave propagation in 1D systems is extremely susceptible to disorder. A well known result is the localisation of waves which leads to an exponential dependence of the transmission coefficient (or resistance in electrical terms) on the length. In this paper the authors show that the disorder also restrict the bandwidth available when the system is used for signalling purposes. The strength of the effect depends on the group velocity and can be expected to be small for light waves, sometimes important for electrical conductors in fast switching operations and crucial when acoustic waves are involved.