PT symmetry in quantum physics: From a mathematical curiosity to optical experiments

Space-time reflection symmetry, or PT symmetry, first proposed in quantum mechanics by Bender and Boettcher in 1998 [1], has become an active research area in fundamental physics. More than two thousand papers have been published on the subject and papers have appeared in two dozen categories of the arXiv. Over two dozen international conferences and symposia specifically devoted to PT symmetry have been held and many PhD theses have been written.