We consider, both theoretically and experimentally, the excitation and
detection of the localized quasi-modes (resonances) in an open dissipative 1D
random system. We show that even though the amplitude of transmission drops
dramatically so that it cannot be observed in the presence of small losses,
resonances are still clearly exhibited in reflection. Surprisingly, small
losses essentially improve conditions for the detection of resonances in
reflection as compared with the lossless case. An algorithm is proposed and
tested to retrieve sample parameters and resonances characteristics inside the
random system exclusively from reflection measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let