Exotic is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as: "unusual and exciting because of coming (or seeming to come) from far away, especially a tropical country" T

Exotic is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as: "unusual and exciting because of coming (or seeming to come) from far away, especially a tropical country" That doesn't seem too far from the use of it in physics. The "tropical country" part is clearly optional but could be replaced by "especially a special group of scientists".