Exceptional point in a PT symmetric non-Hermitian terahertz plasmonic metasurface

TL;DR

This paper experimentally demonstrates an exceptional point in a PT-symmetric terahertz metasurface, revealing phase transitions and polarization state changes with potential for highly sensitive terahertz devices.

Contribution

First experimental realization of an exceptional point in a non-Hermitian terahertz metasurface using complementary plasmonic structures and coupled mode theory analysis.

Findings

Observation of phase transition at the exceptional point

Validation of PT symmetry and asymmetry states via THz-TDS

Visualization of polarization states on Poincare sphere

Abstract

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a non-Hermitian open PT-symmetric terahertz metasurface comprising complementary plasmonic structures capable of exhibiting an exceptional point (EP). The metasurface consists of two resonators of different sizes, representing effective gain and loss elements, placed orthogonally in close proximity to realize a non-Hermitian configuration leading to a PT symmetry state. A diagonal displacement of one resonator within this strongly coupled near-field configuration leads to the emergence of an exceptional point, where the system undergoes a sudden phase transition from a PT symmetric to a PT-asymmetric state. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is performed on the fabricated samples to experimentally validate the phase transition observed in numerical simulations. We employ coupled mode theory (CMT) to analyse and distinguish between the PT-symmetric, exceptional point, and PT-asymmetric states. This theoretical framework enables the calculation of eigenvalues, phase spectra, and eigenmodes associated with the metamaterial design, thereby corroborating the simulation results. Furthermore, we construct Poincare sphere to visualize the orientation of the polarization states of the eigenmodes, which further indicates the presence of the exceptional point. This comprehensive study of exceptional point in a plasmonic system holds potential for the development of practical, highly sensitive terahertz devices, addressing limitations of conventional PT-symmetric systems that rely on traditional gain and loss media.