2010/08/31 by Y. D. Chong, Li Ge, A. Douglas Stone · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #physics.optics #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.106.093902
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 093902 (2011) · 4 pages, 4 figures
arxiv created 2011/01/27 · arxiv updated 2011/05/17
Using a scattering matrix formalism, we derive the general scattering properties of optical structures that are symmetric under a combination of parity and time-reversal (PT). We demonstrate the existence of a transition beween PT-symmetric scattering eigenstates, which are norm-preserving, and symmetry-broken pairs of eigenstates exhibiting net amplification and loss. The system proposed by Longhi, which can act simultaneously as a laser and coherent perfect absorber, occurs at discrete points in the broken symmetry phase, when a pole and zero of the S-matrix coincide.