  PT-symmetry in optics is a condition whereby the real and imaginary parts of
the refractive index across a photonic structure are deliberately balanced.
This balance can lead to a host of novel optical phenomena, such as
unidirectional invisibility, loss-induced lasing, single-mode lasing from
multimode resonators, and non-reciprocal effects in conjunction with
nonlinearities. Because PT-symmetry has been thought of as fragile,
experimental realizations to date have been usually restricted to on-chip
micro-devices. Here, we demonstrate that certain features of PT-symmetry are
sufficiently robust to survive the statistical fluctuations associated with a
macroscopic optical cavity. We construct optical-fiber-based coupled-cavities
in excess of a kilometer in length (the free spectral range is less than 0.8
fm) with balanced gain and loss in two sub-cavities and examine the lasing
dynamics. In such a macroscopic system, fluctuations can lead to a
cavity-detuning exceeding the free spectral range. Nevertheless, by varying the
gain-loss contrast, we observe that both the lasing threshold and the growth of
the laser power follow the predicted behavior of a stable PT-symmetric
structure. Furthermore, a statistical symmetry-breaking point is observed upon
varying the cavity loss. These findings indicate that PT-symmetry is a more
robust optical phenomenon than previously expected, and points to potential
applications in optical fiber networks and fiber lasers.
