We study the influence of a strong imaginary vector potential on the q
uantum mechanics of particles confined to a two-dimensional plane and
propagating in a random impurity potential. We show that the wave func
tions of the non-Hermitian operator can be obtained as the solution to
a two-dimensional Dirac equation in the presence of a random gauge fi
eld. Consequences for the localization properties and the critical nat
ure of the states are discussed.