Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Simulation, Fabrication and Characterization of THz Metamaterial Absorbers
Published on: December 27, 2012
Experimental demonstration of a coherent perfect absorber with PT phase transition
Yong Sun1, Wei Tan2, Hong-qiang Li1
1Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-structure Materials (MOE) and School of Physics Sciences and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
Abstract:
We report the realization of a coherent perfect absorber, using a pair of passive resonators coupled to a microwave transmission line in the background, which can completely absorb light in its parity-time (PT-)symmetric phase but not in its broken phase. Instead of balancing material gain and loss, we exploit the incident waves in the open system as an effective gain so that ideal PT symmetry can be established by using only passive materials. Such a route will be effective to construct PT-symmetric metamaterials and also tunable PT-symmetric optical elements in general. It also provides a flexible platform for studying exceptional-point physics with both electric and magnetic responses.
Related Concept Videos
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Interference
Spectral interference occurs when signals from other elements or molecules overlap with the analyte signal, falsely elevating or masking the analyte's absorbance. This interference can be corrected using Zeeman,...
¹³C NMR: Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT)

