Coupling and Level Repulsion in the Localized Regime: From Isolated to Quasi-Extended Modes

We study the interaction of Anderson localized states in an open 1D random system by varying the internal structure of the sample. As the frequencies of two states come close, they are transformed into multiply-peaked quasi-extended modes. Level repulsion is observed experimentally and explained within a model of coupled resonators. The spectral and spatial evolution of the coupled modes is described in terms of the coupling coefficient and Q-factors of resonators.