Coherent Virtual Absorption and Embedded Eigenstates in non-Hermitian $\mathcal{PT}$-Symmetrical Systems

The recently emerged concepts of coherent perfect absorption (CPA), i.e., the time-reversed counterpart of a laser and its generalization to Hermitian systems, coherent virtual absorption (CVA), are shown to be ideally suited for all-optical light manipulation. In this work, we demonstrate how the concept of coherent excitation can pave the way to light scattering control in an extreme fashion in non-Hermitian $\mathcal{PT}$ -symmetrical systems supporting an embedded eigenstate. © 2019 The Author(s)