No Arabic abstract
Unidirectional reflectionless propagation (or transmission) is an interesting wave phenomenon observed in many $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric optical structures. Theoretical studies on unidirectional reflectionless transmission often use simple coupled-mode models. The coupled-mode theory can reveal the most important physical mechanism for this wave phenomenon, but it is only an approximate theory, and it does not provide accurate quantitative predictions with respect to geometric and material parameters of the structure. In this paper, we rigorously study unidirectional reflectionless transmission for two-dimensional (2D) $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric periodic structures sandwiched between two homogeneous media. Using a scattering matrix formalism and a perturbation method, we show that real zero-reflection frequencies are robust under $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric perturbations, and unidirectional reflectionless transmission is guaranteed to occur if the perturbation (of the dielectric function) satisfies a simple condition. Numerical examples are presented to validate the analytical results, and to demonstrate unidirectional invisibility by tuning the amplitude of balanced gain and loss.
We report the spectral features of a phase-shifted parity and time ($mathcal{PT}$)-symmetric fiber Bragg grating (PPTFBG) and demonstrate its functionality as a demultiplexer in the unbroken $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regime. The length of the proposed system is of the order of millimeters and the lasing spectra in the broken $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regime can be easily tuned in terms of intensity, bandwidth and wavelength by varying the magnitude of the phase shift in the middle of the structure. Surprisingly, the multi-modal lasing spectra are suppressed by virtue of judiciously selected phase and the gain-loss value. Also, it is possible to obtain sidelobe-less spectra in the broken $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regime, without a need for an apodization profile, which is a traditional way to tame the unwanted sidelobes. The system is found to show narrow band single-mode lasing behavior for a wide range of phase shift values for given values of gain and loss. Moreover, we report the intensity tunable reflection and transmission characteristics in the unbroken regime via variation in gain and loss. At the exceptional point, the system shows unidirectional wave transport phenomenon independent of the presence of phase shift in the middle of the grating. For the right light incidence direction, the system exhibits zero reflection wavelengths within the stopband at the exceptional point. We also investigate the role of multiple phase shifts placed at fixed locations along the length of the FBG and the variations in the spectra when the phase shift and gain-loss values are tuned. In the broken $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regime, the presence of multiple phase shifts aids in controlling the number of reflectivity peaks besides controlling their magnitude.
We show that non-linear optical structures involving a balanced gain-loss profile, can act as unidirectional optical valves. This is made possible by exploiting the interplay between the fundamental symmetries of parity (P) and time (T), with optical nonlinear effects. This novel unidirectional dynamics is specifically demonstrated for the case of an integrable PT-symmetric nonlinear system.
We report the role of $mathcal{PT}$-symmetry in switching characteristics of a highly nonlinear fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with cubic-quintic-septic nonlinearities. We demonstrate that the device shows novel bi-(multi-) stable states in the broken regime as a direct consequence of the shift in the photonic band gap influenced by both $mathcal{PT}$-symmetry and higher-order nonlinearities. We also numerically depict that such FBGs provide a productive test bed where the broken $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regime can be exploited to set up all-optical applications such as binary switches, multi-level signal processing and optical computing. Unlike optical bistability (OB) in the traditional and unbroken $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric FBG, it exhibits many peculiar features such as flat-top stable states and ramp like input-output characteristics before the onset of OB phenomenon in the broken regime. The gain/loss parameter plays a dual role in controlling the switching intensities between the stable states which is facilitated by reversing the direction of light incidence. We also find that the gain/loss parameter tailors the formation of gap solitons pertaining to transmission resonances which clearly indicates that it can be employed to set up optical storage devices. Moreover, the interplay between gain/loss and higher order nonlinearities brings notable changes in the nonlinear reflection spectra of the system under constant pump powers. The influence of each control parameters on the switching operation is also presented in a nutshell to validate that FBG offers more degrees of freedom in controlling light with light.
We explore the consequences of incorporating parity and time reversal ($mathcal{PT}$) symmetries on the dynamics of nonreciprocal light propagation exhibited by a class of nonuniform periodic structures known as chirped $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The interplay among various grating parameters such as chirping, detuning, nonlinearities, and gain/loss gives rise to unique bi- and multi-stable states in the unbroken as well as broken $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regimes. The role of chirping on the steering dynamics of the hysteresis curve is influenced by the type of nonlinearities and the nature of detuning parameter. Also, incident directions of the input light robustly impact the steering dynamics of bistable and multistable states both in the unbroken and broken $mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regimes. When the light launching direction is reversed, critical stable states are found to occur at very low intensities which opens up a new avenue for an additional way of controlling light with light. We also analyze the phenomenon of unidirectional wave transport and the reflective bi- and multi-stable characteristics at the so-called $mathcal{PT}$-symmetry breaking point.
The capability to temporarily arrest the propagation of optical signals is one of the main challenges hampering the ever more widespread use of light in rapid long-distance transmission as well as all-optical on-chip signal processing or computations. To this end, flat-band structures are of particular interest, since their hallmark compact eigenstates do not only allow for the localization of wave packets, but importantly also protect their transverse profile from deterioration without the need for additional diffraction management. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate that, far from being a nuisance to be compensated, judiciously tailored loss distributions can in fact be the key ingredient in synthesizing such flat bands in non-Hermitian environments. We probe their emergence in the vicinity of an exceptional point and directly observe the associated compact localised modes that can be excited at arbitrary positions of the periodic lattice.