All-optical $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric amplitude to phase modulator

Abstract

We study electromagnetic field propagation through a planar three-waveguide coupler with linear gain and loss, in a configuration that is the optical analog of a quantum $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric system, and provide its closed-form analytic propagator. At an specific propagation length, we show that the device provides all-optical amplitude to phase modulation with a $\pi$ modulation range, if an extra binary phase is allowed in the reference signal, as well as phase to amplitude modulation, with an amplitude modulation range that depends linearly on the gain-to-coupling ratio of the system.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure