| We demonstrate that exceptional points may occur in the solutions of the lasing equations for microlasers with a PT-like symmetry. At these points the eigenvalues of the non-hermitian operator which governs the lasing states make a transition from mode crossing to mode anti-crossing. The complex behavior associated with such an exceptional point may entirely switch-off the laser even when increasing the overall pump strength deposited in the system. Our results open up the way to experimentally observe characteristic features of non- hermitian mode dynamics in a laser. We discuss how such an experiment could be realized and point out interesting connections to systems with full PT symmetry. |
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