UConn Physics Colloquium

The concept of parity-time (PT) symmetry has motivated intensive discussions on many fronts of theoretical physics, as well as in quantum chemistry and mathematics. While the impact of parity-time reflection in these fields is still debated, it has been recently realized that optics can provide a fertile ground where PT related notions can be realized and experimentally tested. Such arrangements are possible in systems with appreciable levels of optical gain or loss. In this talk, we provide an overview of our recent work on PT-symmetric optical structures and synthetic materials. Both spontaneous PT symmetry breaking, as well as power oscillations violating left-right symmetry will be discussed. Our results may pave the way towards a new class of PT symmetric (optical) materials with new intriguing properties that rely on non-reciprocal light propagation and tailored transverse energy flow.