Demonstration of a two-dimensional PT-symmetric crystal
Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230132
- With the discovery of PT-symmetric quantum mechanics, it was shown that even non-Hermitian systems may exhibit entirely real eigenvalue spectra. This finding did not only change the perception of quantum mechanics itself, it also significantly influenced the field of photonics. By appropriately designing one-dimensional distributions of gain and loss, it was possible to experimentally verify some of the hallmark features of PT-symmetry using electromagnetic waves. Nevertheless, an experimental platform to study the impact of PT-symmetry in twoWith the discovery of PT-symmetric quantum mechanics, it was shown that even non-Hermitian systems may exhibit entirely real eigenvalue spectra. This finding did not only change the perception of quantum mechanics itself, it also significantly influenced the field of photonics. By appropriately designing one-dimensional distributions of gain and loss, it was possible to experimentally verify some of the hallmark features of PT-symmetry using electromagnetic waves. Nevertheless, an experimental platform to study the impact of PT-symmetry in two spatial dimensions has so far remained elusive. We break new grounds by devising a two-dimensional PT-symmetric system based on photonic waveguide lattices with judiciously designed refractive index landscape and alternating loss. With this system at hand, we demonstrate a non-Hermitian two-dimensional topological phase transition that is closely linked to the emergence of topological mid-gap edge states.…
Author: | Mark Kremer, Tobias Biesenthal, Lukas J. Maczewsky, Matthias Heinrich, Ronny Thomale, Alexander Szameit |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230132 |
Document Type: | Journal article |
Faculties: | Fakultät für Physik und Astronomie / Physikalisches Institut |
Language: | English |
Parent Title (English): | Nature Communications |
Year of Completion: | 2019 |
Volume: | 10 |
Article Number: | 435 |
Source: | Nature Communications (2019) 10:435. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-08104-x |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-08104-x |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik |
Tag: | micro-optics; optical materials and structures; topological matter |
Release Date: | 2024/07/11 |
EU-Project number / Contract (GA) number: | 336012 |
OpenAIRE: | OpenAIRE |
Licence (German): | CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International |