Robust Scattered Fields from Adiabatically Driven Targets around Exceptional Points

FERNÁNDEZ-ALCÁZAR, LUCAS J.; LI, HUANAN; ELLIS, FRED; ALÚ, ANDREA; KOTTOS, TSAMPIKOS

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

AMER PHYSICAL SOC

Año: 2020 vol. 124

0031-9007

Scattering processes are typically sensitive to the incident wave properties and to interference effects generated via wave-matter interactions with the target. We challenge this general belief in the case of targets that undergo time-periodic modulations encircling quasiadiabatically an exceptional point in a given parameter space. When the scattering dwell time is above a critical value τc, the scattered field is surprisingly insensitive to the properties of the incoming wave and local operational details of the driving. Instead, it reaches a fixed point attractor that can be controlled by the direction of the driving cycle. For dwell times below τc, the unusual robustness is abruptly suppressed. Such protocols may become useful tools in control engineering, including the management of thermal and quantum fluctuations.