We show that the parity-time (PT) symmetric coupled optical waveguides with gain and loss support localised oscillatory structures similar to the breathers of the classical \(\phi^4\) model. The power carried by the PT-breather oscillates periodically, switching back and forth between the waveguides, so that the gain and loss are compensated on the average. The breathers are found to coexist with solitons and be prevalent in the products of the soliton collisions. We demonstrate that the evolution of the small-amplitude breather’s envelope is governed by a system of two coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations, and employ this Hamiltonian system to show that the small-amplitude PT-breathers are stable.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1211.1835
Pattern Formation and Solitons (nlin.PS); Optics (physics.optics)

We reveal a generic connection between the effect of time-reversals and nonlinear wave dynamics in systems with parity-time (PT) symmetry, considering a symmetric optical coupler with balanced gain and loss where these effects can be readily observed experimentally. We show that for intensities below a threshold level, the amplitudes oscillate between the waveguides, and the effects of gain and loss are exactly compensated after each period due to {periodic time-reversals}. For intensities above a threshold level, nonlinearity suppresses periodic time-reversals leading to the symmetry breaking and a sharp beam switching to the waveguide with gain. Another nontrivial consequence of linear PT-symmetry is that the threshold intensity remains the same when the input intensities at waveguides with loss and gain are exchanged.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.5428
Optics (physics.optics)