High-Order Perfect Absorption in the Absence of Exceptional Point
Abstract
High-order perfect absorption of coherent input has recently attracted significant attention due to its broadband absorption capacity. However, the realization of a high-order perfect absorber relies on the exceptional point (EP) to coalesce the scattering zeros. Here, we present a general scattering framework and achieve the high-order perfect absorber in the absence of an EP. We consider the asynchronous coherent input, where a spatial delay introduces a momentum-dependent phase factor beyond the amplitude and phase control in synchronous coherent input. This new degree of freedom enables active control of the momentum-dependent output, effectively reshaping the absorption line shape necessary for the high-order perfect absorber. Remarkably, despite the absence of an EP, the proposed high-order perfect absorber exhibits significant response to the perturbations in the delay length. Our findings provide insights for the delay-induced momentum-sensitive interference phenomenon and offer a new route for wave control.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Quantum Mechanics and Non-Hermitian Physics
Nonlinear Photonic Systems
Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review Letters
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 136
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 136902–136902
- Publication date
- 11 March 2026
- Language
- EN