Recent advances in the combination of nonlinearity and exceptional points

Abstract

The exotic physics emerging at singularities has long attracted intense theoretical and experimental attention. In non-Hermitian systems, exceptional points (EPs), unique spectral singularities, have given rise to a host of intriguing wave phenomena and enabled a broad range of promising applications across diverse physical platforms. Recently, considerable effort has been devoted to combining nonlinearity with exceptional points (EPs) to enable flexible control, overcome the limitations of linear EPs, discover previously unexplored singularities, and reveal novel physical phenomena and application potentials. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the interplay between nonlinearity and EPs, highlighting key developments such as noise suppression for enhanced sensing, emerging mechanisms for chiral-like state transfer, the realization of optical isolators in nonlinear EP systems, applications including wireless energy transfer and frequency comb generation, among others. We also offer a perspective on future research directions and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field.