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Scattering bounds in asymmetric resonators stemming from the topological phase

Ming Kang1,*, Tianmeng Zhang1, Huanan Li2,†, Jing Chen2,‡, and Andrea Alù3,4,5,¶

  • 1College of Physics and Materials Science, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
  • 2MOE Key Laboratory of Weak-Light Nonlinear Photonics, School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
  • 3Photonics Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, The City University of New York, New York, New York 10031, USA
  • 4Department of Electrical Engineering, City College, The City University of New York, New York, New York 10031, USA
  • 5Physics Program, Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, USA

  • *Contact author: mingkang@mail.nankai.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: hli01@nankai.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: jchen4@nankai.edu.cn
  • Contact author: aalu@gc.cuny.edu
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Phys. Rev. B 113, L081103 – Published 9 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mb6b-45t1

Abstract

We explore the constraints on the radiative properties of asymmetric open resonators imposed by energy conservation and time-reversal symmetry, identifying a connection between the bounds on scattering amplitude and the radiative phase difference between ports. Through this connection, we demonstrate that a radiative phase difference with nontrivial winding number is associated with fundamental scattering asymmetry bounds. When the scattering bound is applied to a zero-background reflection, the resonator supports degenerate coherent perfect absorption (CPA) states, yielding an exceptional point CPA. These bounds enable extreme light manipulation, connecting topological and non-Hermitian nanophotonic responses driven by broken symmetries.

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Phys. Rev. B 113, L081103– Published 9 February, 2026
  • Received 24 April 2025
  • Revised 20 August 2025
  • Accepted 13 January 2026
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