We employ random matrix theory in order to investigate coherent perfect absorption (CPA) in lossy systems with complex internal dynamics. The loss strength ${\gamma }_{\mathrm{CPA}}$ and energy $E_{\mathrm{CPA}}$, for which a CPA occurs, are expressed in terms of the eigenmodes of the isolated cavity—thus carrying over the information about the chaotic nature of the target—and their coupling to a finite number of scattering channels. Our results are tested against numerical calculations using complex networks of resonators and chaotic graphs as CPA cavities.

• Received 12 October 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.044101