Observation of exceptional points in reconfigurable non-Hermitian vector-field holographic lattices.

ABSTRACT: Recently, synthetic optical materials represented via non-Hermitian Hamiltonians have attracted significant attention because of their nonorthogonal eigensystems, enabling unidirectionality, nonreciprocity and unconventional beam dynamics. Such systems demand carefully configured complex optical potentials to create skewed vector spaces with a desired metric distortion. In this paper, we report optically generated non-Hermitian photonic lattices with versatile control of real and imaginary sub-lattices. In the proposed method, such lattices are generated by vector-field holographic interference of two elliptically polarized pump beams on azobenzene-doped polymer thin films. We experimentally observe violation of Friedel's law of diffraction, indicating the onset of complex lattice formatio

SUBMITTER: Hahn C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4960300 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature