We analyze the optical properties of one-dimensional (1D) PT-symmetric structures of arbitrary complexity. These structures violate normal unitarity (photon flux conservation) but are shown to satisfy generalized unitarity relations, which relate the elements of the scattering matrix and lead to a conservation relation in terms of the transmittance and (left and right) reflectances. One implication of this relation is that there exist anisotropic transmission resonances in PT-symmetric systems, frequencies at which there is unit transmission and zero reflection, but only for waves incident from a single side. The spatial profile of these transmission resonances is symmetric, and they can occur even at PT-symmetry breaking points. The general conservation relations can be utilized as an experimental signature of the presence of PT-symmetry and of PT-symmetry breaking transitions. The uniqueness of PT-symmetry breaking transitions of the scattering matrix is briefly discussed by comparing to the corresponding non-Hermitian Hamiltonians.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1112.5167
Optics (physics.optics)

We demonstrate that the above-threshold behavior of a laser can be strongly affected by exceptional points which are induced by pumping the laser non-uniformly. At these singularities the eigenstates of the non-Hermitian operator which describes the lasing modes coalesce. In the vicinity of these points the laser may turn off even when the overall pump power deposited in the system is increased. We suggest that such signatures of a pump-induced exceptional point can be experimentally probed with coupled ridge or microdisk lasers.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1109.0454
Optics (physics.optics)