Anomalous parity-time–symmetry transition away from an exceptional point

Li Ge
Phys. Rev. A 94, 013837 – Published 19 July 2016

Abstract

Parity-time (PT) symmetric systems have two distinguished phases, e.g., one with real-energy eigenvalues and the other with complex-conjugate eigenvalues. To enter one phase from the other, it is believed that the system must pass through an exceptional point, which is a non-Hermitian degenerate point with coalesced eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Here we reveal an anomalous PT transition that takes place away from an exceptional point in a nonlinear system: as the nonlinearity increases, the original linear system evolves along two distinct PT-symmetric trajectories, each of which can have an exceptional point. However, the two trajectories collide and vanish away from these exceptional points, after which the system is left with a PT-broken phase. We first illustrate this phenomenon using a coupled-mode theory and then exemplify it using paraxial wave propagation in a transverse periodic potential.

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  • Received 17 February 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.94.013837

©2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

Li Ge*

  • Department of Engineering Science and Physics, College of Staten Island, CUNY, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA
  • and The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York, New York 10016, USA

  • *li.ge@csi.cuny.edu

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Issue

Vol. 94, Iss. 1 — July 2016

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