Abstract
Robust signal transfer in the form of electromagnetic waves is of fundamental importance in modern technology, yet its operation is often challenged by unwanted modifications of the channel connecting transmitter and receiver. Parity-time- (PT-) symmetric systems, combining active and passive elements in a balanced form, provide an interesting route in this context. Here, we demonstrate a PT-symmetric microwave system operating in the extreme case in which the channel is shorted through a small reactance, which acts as a nearly impenetrable obstacle, and it is therefore expected to induce large reflections and poor transmission. After placing a gain element behind the obstacle, and a balanced lossy element in front of it, we observe full restoration of information and overall transparency to an external observer, despite the presence of the obstacle. Our theory, simulations, and experiments unambiguously demonstrate stable and robust wave tunneling and information transfer supported by PT symmetry, opening opportunities for efficient communication through channels with dynamic changes, active filtering, and active metamaterial technology.
Highlights
Information transfer in the form of electromagnetic waves is ubiquitous in today’s world, from free space to transmission line channels [1,2,3,4,5]
Simulations, and experiments unambiguously demonstrate stable and robust wave tunneling and information transfer supported by PT symmetry, opening opportunities for efficient communication through channels with dynamic changes, active filtering, and active metamaterial technology
The wave must tunnel through nonideal channels, with strong insertion loss. Resonant transmission, such as electron tunneling through quantum wells, resonant photon tunneling through optical barriers, and microwave tunneling through extremely squeezed or bent channels can address this issue to some extent, but typically with severe trade-offs in terms of bandwidth, sensitivity, and complexity, among others [6,7,8,9]
Summary
Information transfer in the form of electromagnetic waves is ubiquitous in today’s world, from free space (wireless) to transmission line (guided) channels [1,2,3,4,5]. The wave must tunnel through nonideal channels, with strong insertion loss Resonant transmission, such as electron tunneling through quantum wells, resonant photon tunneling through optical barriers, and microwave tunneling through extremely squeezed or bent channels can address this issue to some extent, but typically with severe trade-offs in terms of bandwidth, sensitivity, and complexity, among others [6,7,8,9]. The channel between a transmitter and a receiver may be completely blocked, which cannot be addressed by dynamically tuning the matching network. In such practical scenarios, transferring the signal over the channel may be impossible
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