In this paper, we study the interactions of electromagnetic waves with a non-dispersive dynamic medium that is temporally dependent. Electromagnetic fields under material time-modulation conserve their momentum but not their energy. We assume a time-variation of the permittivity, permeability and conductivity and derive the appropriate time-domain solutions based on the causality state at a past observation time. We formulate a time-transitioning state matrix and connect the unusual energy transitions of electromagnetic fields in time-varying media with the exceptional point theory. This state-matrix approach allows us to analyze further the electromagnetic waves in terms of parity and time-reversal symmetries and signify parity-time symmetric wave-states without the presence of a spatially symmetric distribution of gain and loss, or any inhomogeneities and material periodicity. This paper provides a useful arsenal to study electromagnetic wave phenomena under time-varying media and points out novel physical insights connecting the resulting energy transitions and electromagnetic modes with exceptional point physics and operator symmetries.
Guided by the planar interface of two dissimilar linear, homogeneous mediums, a Voigt surface wave arises due to an exceptional point of either of the two matrixes necessary to describe the spatial characteristics in the direction normal to the planar interface. There is no requirement for either or both partnering mediums to be dissipative, unlike a Voigt plane wave which can propagate only in a dissipative medium.
We study a topological band degeneracy in non-Hermitian systems with parity-time ($PT$) and parity-particle-hole ($CP$) symmetries. In $d$-dimensional non-Hermitian systems, it is shown that $(d-1)$-dimensional exceptional surfaces can appear from band touching thanks to $PT$ or $CP$ symmetry. We investigate the topological stability and zero-gap quasiparticles for the exceptional surfaces due to the band degeneracy. We also demonstrate the band degeneracy by using lattice models of a topological semimetal and a superconductor.
We show that gyrotropic structures with balanced gain and loss that respect anti-linear symmetries exhibit a giant non-reciprocity at the so-called exact phase where the eigenfrequencies of the isolated non-Hermitian set-up are real. The effect occurs in a parameter domain near an exceptional point (EP) degeneracy, where mode-orthogonality collapses. The theoretical predictions are confirmed numerically in the microwave domain, where a non-reciprocal transport above 90dB is demonstrated, and are further verified using lump-circuitry modeling. The analysis allows us to speculate the universal n…
In order to explore electric-field-induced transformations of polarization singularities in the polarization-resolved angular (conoscopic) patterns emerging after deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystal (DHFLC) cells with subwavelength helix pitch, we combine the transfer matrix formalism with the results for the effective dielectric tensor of biaxial FLCs evaluated using an improved technique of averaging over distorted helical structures. Within the framework of the transfer matrix method, we deduce a number of symmetry relations and show that the symmetry axis of L lines (curves of line…
The physics of systems that cannot be described by a Hermitian Hamiltonian, has been attracting a great deal of attention in recent years, motivated by their nontrivial responses and by a plethora of applications for sensing, lasing, energy transfer/harvesting, topology and quantum networks. Electromagnetics is an inherently non-Hermitian research area because all materials are lossy, loss and gain distributions can be controlled with various mechanisms, and the underlying systems are open to radiation. Therefore, the recent developments in non-Hermitian physics offer exciting opportunities fo…
We show the recently discovered ghost waves - a special class of non-uniform electromagnetic waves in biaxial anisotropic media - can be used for optical sensing based on exceptional points. In addition to showing high sensitivity and precision, the proposed sensor employs simple planar geometry and is robust against noise.
Exceptional points in non-Hermitian systems have recently been shown to possess nontrivial topological properties, and to give rise to many exotic physical phenomena. However, most studies thus far have focused on isolated exceptional points or one-dimensional lines of exceptional points. Here, we substantially expand the space of exceptional systems by designing two-dimensional surfaces of exceptional points, and find that symmetries are a key element to protect such exceptional surfaces. We construct them using symmetry-preserving non-Hermitian deformations of topological nodal lines, and an…
We theoretically investigate the flow of electromagnetic waves in complex honeycomb photonic lattices with local PT symmetries. Such PT structure is introduced via a judicious arrangement of gain or loss across the honeycomb lattice, characterized by a gain/loss parameter γ. We found a new class of conical diffraction phenomena where the formed cone is brighter and travels along the lattice with a transverse speed proportional to Sqrt (γ).
The existence of surface electromagnetic waves in the dielectric-metal interface is due to the sign change of real parts of permittivity across the interface. In this work, we demonstrate that the interface constructed by two semi-infinite photonic crystals with different signs of the imaginary parts of permittivity also supports surface electromagnetic eigenmodes with real eigenfrequencies, protected by $ PT $ symmetry of such loss-gain interface. Using a multiple scattering method and full wave numerical methods, we show that the dispersion of such interface states exhibit unusual features s…
In non-Hermitian systems, the defective band degeneracies, so-called exceptional points (EPs), can form robust exceptional lines (ELs) in 3D momentum space in the absence of any symmetries. Here, we show that a natural orientation can be assigned to every EL according to the eigenenergy braiding around it, and prove the source-free principle of ELs as a corollary of the generalized Fermion doubling theorem for EPs on an arbitrary closed oriented surface, which indicates that if several ELs flow into a junction, the same number of outflow ELs from the junction must exist. Based on this principl…
Modern physics is largely devoted to study conservation laws, such as charge, energy, linear momentum or angular momentum, because they give us information about the symmetries of our universe. Here, we propose to add the relationship between electromagnetic duality and helicity to the toolkit. Generalized electromagnetic duality symmetry, broken in the microscopic Maxwell's equations by the empirical absence of magnetic charges, can be restored for the macroscopic Maxwell's equations. The restoration of this symmetry is shown to be independent of the geometry of the problem. These results pro…
We reveal how to exploit joint spatial-electromagnetic duality symmetries to obtain invariant scattering properties (including extinction, scattering, absorption) of self-dual scattering systems for incident waves of arbitrary polarizations. The electromagnetic duality ensures the helicity preservation along all scattering directions, and thus intrinsically eliminates the interferences between the two scattering channels originating from the circularly polarized components of incident waves. This absence of interference directly secures invariant scattering properties for all polarizations loc…
Exceptional points are universal level degeneracies induced by non-Hermiticity. Whereas past decades witnessed their new physics, the unified understanding has yet to be obtained. Here we present the complete classification of generic topologically stable exceptional points according to two types of complex-energy gaps and fundamental symmetries of charge conjugation, parity, and time reversal. This classification reveals unique non-Hermitian gapless structures with no Hermitian analogs and systematically predicts unknown non-Hermitian semimetals and nodal superconductors; a topological dumbbe…
Exceptional points play a pivotal role in the topology of non-Hermitian systems, and significant advances have been made in classifying exceptional points and exploring the associated phenomena. Exceptional surfaces, which are hypersurfaces of exceptional degeneracies in parameter space, can support hypersurface singularities, such as cusps, intersections and swallowtail catastrophes. Here we topologically classify the intersection singularity of exceptional surfaces for a generic pseudo-Hermitian system with parity-time symmetry. By constructing the quotient space under equivalence relations …
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 c…
We propose an optomechanical nano-gravimeter based on exceptional points. The system is a coupled cavity optomechanical system, in which the gain and loss are applied by driving the cavities with a blue detuned and red detuned electromagnetic field, respectively. When the gain and loss reach a balance, the system will show the degeneracy of exceptional points, and any perturbation will cause an eigenfrequencies split, which is proportional to the square root of the perturbation strength. Compared with the traditional optomechanical sensors, the sensitivity is greatly enhanced. This work paves …
The genesis of lasing, as an evolution of the laser hybrid eigenstates comprised of electromagnetic modes and atomic polarization, is considered. It is shown that the start of coherent generation at the laser threshold is preceded by the formation of a special hybrid state at the lasing pre-threshold. This special state is characterized by an enhanced coupling among excited atoms and electromagnetic modes. This leads to an increase in the rate of stimulated emission in the special state and, ultimately, to lasing. At the lasing pre-threshold, the transformation of hybrid eigenstates has the fe…
Scattering of electromagnetic waves lies at the heart of most experimental techniques over nearly the entire electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from radio waves to optics and X-rays. Hence, deep insight into the basics of scattering theory and understanding the peculiar features of electromagnetic scattering is necessary for the correct interpretation of experimental data and an understanding of the underlying physics. Recently, a broad spectrum of exceptional scattering phenomena attainable in suitably engineered structures has been predicted and demonstrated. Examples include bound states in …
Parity-time (PT)-symmetric Hamiltonians have widespread significance in non-Hermitian physics. A PT-symmetric Hamiltonian can exhibit distinct phases with either real or complex eigenspectrum, while the transition points in between, the so-called exceptional points, give rise to a host of critical behaviors that holds great promise for applications. For spatially periodic non-Hermitian systems, PT symmetries are commonly characterized and observed in line with the Bloch band theory, with exceptional points dwelling in the Brillouin zone. Here, in nonunitary quantum walks of single photons, we …
