We reveal a generic connection between the effect of time reversals and nonlinear wave dynamics in systems with parity-time (PT ) symmetry, considering a symmetric optical coupler with balanced gain and loss where these effects can be directly observed experimentally. We show that for intensities below a threshold level, the amplitudes oscillate between the waveguides, and the effects of gain a...

V. Achilleos,1 P. G. Kevrekidis,2 D. J. Frantzeskakis,1 and R. Carretero-González3 1Department of Physics, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zografos, Athens 157 84, Greece 2Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-4515, USA 3Nonlinear Dynamical Systems Group, Computational Sciences Research Center, and Department of Mathematics ...

Abstract Parity-time (PT) symmetric lasers exploit the modulation of optical gain and loss have led to important fundamental demonstrations in non-Hermitian physics. The current theoretical analysis PT-symmetric laser physics is performed on basis adiabatic elimination medium polarization. This approximation doesn’t hold true for a more general system with strong photon-particle interactions, w...