Nonlinear waves in $\cal PT$-symmetric systems

TL;DR

This review comprehensively discusses the nonlinear phenomena in $\ ext{PT}$-symmetric systems across various physical fields, highlighting new behaviors, stability features, and experimental findings that extend traditional dissipative system understanding.

Contribution

It provides a thorough overview of nonlinear $\ ext{PT}$-symmetric systems, detailing their unique properties, phenomena, and experimental realizations across multiple disciplines.

Findings

Existence of continuous families of nonlinear modes

Stabilization of modes beyond $\ ext{PT}$-symmetry phase transition

Distinctive soliton dynamics in nonlinear $\ ext{PT}$ systems

Abstract

Recent progress on nonlinear properties of parity-time ($\cal PT$-) symmetric systems is comprehensively reviewed in this article. $\cal PT$ symmetry started out in non-Hermitian quantum mechanics, where complex potentials obeying $\cal PT$ symmetry could exhibit all-real spectra. This concept later spread out to optics, Bose-Einstein condensates, electronic circuits, and many other physical fields, where a judicious balancing of gain and loss constitutes a $\cal PT$-symmetric system. The natural inclusion of nonlinearity into these $\cal PT$ systems then gave rise to a wide array of new phenomena which have no counterparts in traditional dissipative systems. Examples include the existence of continuous families of nonlinear modes and integrals of motion, stabilization of nonlinear modes above $\cal PT$-symmetry phase transition, symmetry breaking of nonlinear modes, distinctive soliton dynamics, and many others. In this article, nonlinear $\cal PT$-symmetric systems arising from various physical disciplines are presented; nonlinear properties of these systems are thoroughly elucidated; and relevant experimental results are described. In addition, emerging applications of $\cal PT$ symmetry are pointed out.