Topological optomechanical amplifier with synthetic $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry

Abstract

We propose how to achieve synthetic $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry in optomechanics without using any active medium. We find that harnessing the Stokes process in such a system can lead to the emergence of exceptional point (EP), i.e., the coalescing of both the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors of the system. By encircling the EP, both non-reciprocal optical amplification and chiral mode switching can be achieved. As a result, our synthetic $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric optomechanics works as a topological optomechanical amplifier. This provides a surprisingly simplified route to realize $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric optomechanics, indicating that a wide range of EP devices can be created and utilized for various applications such as topological optical engineering and nanomechanical processing or sensing.