Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 11, 2025

Fabrication and Testing of Photonic Thermometers
Published on: October 24, 2018
Parity-Time symmetric system based on the thermoacoustic effect
Gaelle Poignand1, Come Olivier1, Guillaume Penelet1
1Laboratoire d'Acoustique de l'Université du Mans (LAUM), UMR-CNRS 6613, Institut d'Acoustique-Graduate School (IA-GS), CNRS, Le Mans Université, France.
Abstract:
This paper deals with the experimental study of an acoustic Parity-Time (PT) symmetric system based on the thermoacoustic amplification process. Such a system is presented and consists of two acoustic units connected through side branches to a waveguide. One unit contains a thermoacoustic core that provides an acoustic gain which balances the thermal and viscous losses taking place in the second unit. Two control parameters are set to adjust the impedance of the two units and thereby achieve the PT-symmetry condition. The results show that a good balance between gain and loss is achieved within a frequency range from 45 Hz to 60 Hz. The spontaneous PT-symmetry breaking and the existence of exceptional points, which are characteristic of the behavior of PT-symmetric systems, are explored in this frequency range. Moreover, the distance between the two units is shown to be a control parameter to slightly shift the frequency at which the exceptional points occur.
Related Concept Videos
Thermodynamic Systems
Consider an example of tea boiling in a kettle. The...
Joule-Thomson Effect
This experiment forces high-pressure gas through a throttle valve or a porous plug to a lower-pressure region. The gas expands as it passes through to...
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
Mechanism of heat transfer

