Dynamics of thermal light in optical parity-time symmetric structures

We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of a photon ensemble in an optical parity-time symmetric structure. We compute the dynamics of photon ensembles in optical structures with a parity-time symmetry. The characteristic times for achieving a steady photonic state exhibit a significant dependence on photonic densities of states. We also examine the conditions under which light in such systems approaches thermal equilibrium. Notably, thermal radiation near exceptional points remains nonequilibrium due to nontrivial topologies. This research enhances our understanding of light-matter interactions.