Wave scattering on a domain wall in a chain of PT-symmetric couplers

Abstract

We study wave propagation in linear arrays composed of pairs of conjugate waveguides with balanced gain and loss, that is, arrays of PT-symmetric couplers, where the linear spectrum is known to feature high-frequency and low-frequency branches. We introduce a domain wall by switching the gain and loss in half of the array and analyze the scattering of linear waves on this defect. The analysis reveals two major effects: amplification of both reflected and transmitted waves and excitation of the reflected and transmitted low-frequency and high-frequency waves by the incident high-frequency and low-frequency waves, respectively. Show more