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We present spectroscopic observation of an exceptional point or the transition point between mode crossing and avoided mode crossing of neighboring quasieigenmodes in a chaotic optical microcavity of a large size parameter. The transition to the avoided mode crossing was impeded until the degree of deformation exceeded a threshold deformation owing to the system's openness also enhanced by the shape deformation. As a result, a singular topology was observed around the exceptional point on the eigenfrequency surfaces, resulting in fundamental inconsistency in mode labeling.

A microcavity laser based on the gain only in the evanescent field region of whispering gallery modes has been demonstrated. A cylindrical microcavity of 125 microm diam was surrounded by rhodamine 6G dye molecules in an ethanol solution of lower refractive index such that whispering gallery modes of the microcavity underwent laser oscillation when the dye molecules in the evanescent field region outside the cavity were excited by a second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser. For particular pumping spots, single-mode laser oscillation of a transverse magnetic mode was observed at about 600 nm with associated cavity Q of 3x10(7).

We report the first direct observation of an exceptional point (EP) in an open quantum composite of a single atom and a high-Q cavity mode. The atom-cavity coupling constant was made a continuous variable by utilizing the multisublevel nature of a single rubidium atom when it is optimally coupled to the cavity mode. The spectroscopic properties of quasieigenstates of the atom-cavity composite were experimentally investigated near the EP. Branch-point singularity of quasieigenenergies was observed and its 4pi symmetry was demonstrated. Consequently, the cavity transmission at the quasieigenstate was observed to exhibit a critical behavior at the EP.

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