Realization of exceptional points along a synthetic orbital angular momentum dimension

Abstract: Exceptional points (EPs), at which more than one eigenvalue and eigenvector coalesce, are unique spectral features of Non-Hermiticity (NH) systems. They exist widely in open systems with complex energy spectra. We experimentally demonstrate the appearance of paired EPs in a periodical driven degenerate optical cavity along the synthetic orbital angular momentum (OAM) dimension with a tunable parameter. The complex-energy band structures and the key features of EPs, i.e. their Fermi arcs, parity-time symmetry breaking transition, energy swapping, and half-integer band windings are directly observed by detecting the cavity's transmission spectrum. Our results advance the fundamental understanding of NH physics and demonstrate the flexibility of using the photonic synthetic dimensions to implement NH systems.