This article is cited in 262 papers

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS

PT-symmetry in optics

A. A. Zyablovsky^ab, A. P. Vinogradov^acb, A. A. Pukhov^acb, A. V. Dorofeenko^acb, A. A. Lisyansky<sup>d

a</sup> Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudny, Moscow region
^b All-Russian Research Institute of Automatics, Moscow
^c Institute for Theoretical and Applied Electromagnetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
^d Department of Physics, Queens College of the City University of New York

Abstract: We review quantum mechanical and optical pseudo-Hermitian systems with an emphasis on PT-symmetric systems important for optics and electrodynamics. One of the most interesting and much discussed consequences of PT symmetry is a phase transition under which the system eigenvalues lose their PT symmetry. We show that although this phase transition is difficult to realize experimentally, a similar transition can be observed in quasi-PT-symmetric systems. Other effects predicted for PT-symmetric systems are not specific for these systems and can be observed in ordinary fully passive systems.

PACS: 03.65.Ca, 41.20.Jb, 42.79.-e

Received: February 11, 2014
Revised: April 16, 2014
Accepted: May 13, 2014

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0184.201411b.1177

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2014, 57:11, 1063–1082

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