We show that complex PT-symmetric photonic lattices can lead to a new class of self-imaging Talbot effects. For this to occur, we find that the input field pattern, has to respect specific periodicities which are dictated by the symmetries of the system. While at the spontaneous PT-symmetry breaking point, the image revivals occur at Talbot lengths governed by the characteristics of the passive lattice, at the exact phase it depends on the gain and loss parameter thus allowing one to control the imaging process.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.2349

Optics (physics.optics); Other Condensed Matter (cond-mat.other); Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

The scattering properties of randomly layered optical media with \({\cal PT}\)-symmetric index of refraction are studied using the transfer-matrix method. We find that the transmitance decays exponentially as a function of the system size, with an enhanced rate \(\xi_{\gamma}(W)^{-1}=\xi_0(W)^{-1}+\xi_{\gamma} (0)^{-1}\), where \(\xi_0(W)\) is the localization length of the equivalent passive random medium and \(\xi_{\gamma}(0)\) is the attenuation/amplification length of the corresponding perfect system with a \({\cal PT}\)-symmetric refraction index profile. While transmitance processes are reciprocal to left and right incident waves, the reflectance is enhanced from one side and is inversely suppressed from the other, thus allowing such \({\cal PT}\)-symmetric random media to act as unidirectional coherent absorbers.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.1849
Optics (physics.optics)