Observation of Parity-Time Symmetry in Optically Induced Atomic Lattices.
We experimentally demonstrate PT-symmetric optical lattices with periodical gain and loss profiles in a coherently prepared four-level N-type atomic system. By appropriately tuning the pertinent atomic parameters, the onset of PT-symmetry breaking is observed through measuring an abrupt phase-shift jump between adjacent gain and loss waveguides. The experimental realization of such a readily reconfigurable and effectively controllable PT-symmetric waveguide array structure sets a new stage for further exploiting and better understanding the peculiar physical properties of these non-Hermitian systems in atomic settings.
Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.|Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education & Shaanxi Key Lab of Information Photonic Technique, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
Zhaoyang
Z
Zhang
Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education & Shaanxi Key Lab of Information Photonic Technique, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
Yiqi
Y
Zhang
Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA.
Jiteng
J
Sheng
Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.|College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Liu
L
Yang
CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA.
Mohammad-Ali
MA
Miri
CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA.
Demetrios N
DN
Christodoulides
Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.
Bing
B
He
Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education & Shaanxi Key Lab of Information Photonic Technique, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
Yanpeng
Y
Zhang
Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.|National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
Min
M
Xiao