No Arabic abstract
We identify a new kind of physically realizable exceptional point (EP) corresponding to degenerate coherent perfect absorption, in which two purely incoming solutions of the wave operator for electromagnetic or acoustic waves coalesce to a single state. Such non-hermitian degeneracies can occur at a real-valued frequency without any associated noise or non-linearity, in contrast to EPs in lasers. The absorption lineshape for the eigenchannel near the EP is quartic in frequency around its maximum in any dimension. In general, for the parameters at which an operator EP occurs, the associated scattering matrix does not have an EP. However, in one dimension, when the $S$-matrix does have a perfectly absorbing EP, it takes on a universal one-parameter form with degenerate values for all scattering coefficients. For absorbing disk resonators, these EPs give rise to chiral absorption: perfect absorption for only one sense of rotation of the input wave.
Exceptional points (EPs), at which both eigenvalues and eigenvectors coalesce, are ubiquitous and unique features of non-Hermitian systems. Second-order EPs are by far the most studied due to their abundance, requiring only the tuning of two real parameters, which is less than the three parameters needed to generically find ordinary Hermitian eigenvalue degeneracies. Higher-order EPs generically require more fine-tuning, and are thus assumed to play a much less prominent role. Here, however, we illuminate how physically relevant symmetries make higher-order EPs dramatically more abundant and conceptually richer. More saliently, third-order EPs generically require only two real tuning parameters in presence of either $PT$ symmetry or a generalized chiral symmetry. Remarkably, we find that these different symmetries yield topologically distinct types of EPs. We illustrate our findings in simple models, and show how third-order EPs with a generic $sim k^{1/3}$ dispersion are protected by PT-symmetry, while third-order EPs with a $sim k^{1/2}$ dispersion are protected by the chiral symmetry emerging in non-Hermitian Lieb lattice models. More generally, we identify stable, weak, and fragile aspects of symmetry-protected higher-order EPs, and tease out their concomitant phenomenology.
The ideas of topology have found tremendous success in Hermitian physical systems, but even richer properties exist in the more general non-Hermitian framework. Here, we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate a new topologically-protected bulk Fermi arc which---unlike the well-known surface Fermi arcs arising from Weyl points in Hermitian systems---develops from non-Hermitian radiative losses in photonic crystal slabs. Moreover, we discover half-integer topological charges in the polarization of far-field radiation around the Fermi arc. We show that both phenomena are direct consequences of the non-Hermitian topological properties of exceptional points, where resonances coincide in their frequencies and linewidths. Our work connects the fields of topological photonics, non-Hermitian physics and singular optics, and paves the way for future exploration of non-Hermitian topological systems.
The state of a quantum system may be steered towards a predesignated target state, employing a sequence of weak $textit{blind}$ measurements (where the detectors readouts are traced out). Here we analyze the steering of a two-level system using the interplay of a system Hamiltonian and weak measurements, and show that $textit{any}$ pure or mixed state can be targeted. We show that the optimization of such a steering protocol is underlain by the presence of Liouvillian exceptional points. More specifically, for high purity target states, optimal steering implies purely relaxational dynamics marked by a second-order exceptional point, while for low purity target states, it implies an oscillatory approach to the target state. The phase transition between these two regimes is characterized by a third-order exceptional point.
Chiral exceptional points (CEPs) have been shown to emerge in traveling wave resonators via asymmetric back scattering from two or more nano-scatterers. Here, we provide a new perspective on the formation of CEPs based on the coupled oscillator model. Our approach provides an intuitive understanding for the modal coalescence that signals the emergence of CEPs, and emphasizes the role played by dissipation throughout this process. In doing so, our model also unveils an otherwise unexplored connection between CEPs and other types of exceptional points associated with parity-time symmetric photonic arrangements. In addition, our model also explains qualitative results observed in recent experimental work involving CEPs. Importantly, the tight-binding nature of our approach allows us to extend the notion of CEP to discrete photonics setups that consist coupled resonator and waveguide arrays, thus opening new avenues for exploring the exotic features of CEPs in conjunction with other interesting physical effects such as nonlinearities and topological protections.
The H1 photonic crystal cavity supports two degenerate dipole modes of orthogonal linear polarization which could give rise to circularly polarized fields when driven with a $pi$/$2$ phase difference. However, fabrication errors tend to break the symmetry of the cavity which lifts the degeneracy of the modes, rendering the cavity unsuitable for supporting circular polarization. We demonstrate numerically, a scheme that induces chirality in the cavity modes, thereby achieving a cavity that supports intrinsic circular polarization. By selectively modifying two air holes around the cavity, the dipole modes could interact via asymmetric coherent backscattering which is a non-Hermitian process. With suitable air hole parameters, the cavity modes approach the exceptional point, coalescing in frequencies and linewidths as well as giving rise to significant circular polarization close to unity. The handedness of the chirality can be selected depending on the choice of the modified air holes. Our results highlight the prospect of using the H1 photonic crystal cavity for chiral-light matter coupling in applications such as valleytronics, spin-photon interfaces and the generation of single photons with well-defined spins.