No Arabic abstract
For first-order topological semimetals, non-Hermitian perturbations can drive the Weyl nodes into Weyl exceptional rings having multiple topological structures and no Hermitian counterparts. Recently, it was discovered that higher-order Weyl semimetals, as a novel class of higher-order topological phases, can uniquely exhibit coexisting surface and hinge Fermi arcs. However, non-Hermitian higher-order topological semimetals have not yet been explored. Here, we identify a new type of topological semimetals, i.e, a higher-order topological semimetal with Weyl exceptional rings. In such a semimetal, these rings are characterized by both a spectral winding number and a Chern number. Moreover, the higher-order Weyl-exceptional-ring semimetal supports both surface and hinge Fermi-arc states, which are bounded by the projection of the Weyl exceptional rings onto the surface and hinge, respectively. Noticeably, the dissipative terms can cause the coupling of two exceptional rings with opposite topological charges, so as to induce topological phase transitions. Our studies open new avenues for exploring novel higher-order topological semimetals in non-Hermitian systems.
We investigate higher-order Weyl semimetals (HOWSMs) having bulk Weyl nodes attached to both surface and hinge Fermi arcs. We identify a new type of Weyl node, that we dub a $2nd$ order Weyl node, that can be identified as a transition in momentum space in which both the Chern number and a higher order topological invariant change. As a proof of concept we use a model of stacked higher order quadrupole insulators to identify three types of WSM phases: $1st$-order, $2nd$-order, and hybrid-order. The model can also realize type-II and hybrid-tilt WSMs with various surface and hinge arcs. Moreover, we show that a measurement of charge density in the presence of magnetic flux can help identify some classes of $2nd$ order WSMs. Remarkably, we find that coupling a $2nd$-order Weyl phase with a conventional $1st$-order one can lead to a hybrid-order topological insulator having coexisting surface cones and flat hinge arcs that are independent and not attached to each other. Finally, we show that periodic driving can be utilized as a way for generating HOWSMs. Our results are relevant to metamaterials as well as various phases of Cd$_3$As$_2$, KMgBi, and rutile-structure PtO$_2$ that have been predicted to realize higher order Dirac semimetals.
We study non-Hermitian higher-order Weyl semimetals (NHHOWSMs) possessing real spectra and having inversion $mathcal{I}$ ($mathcal{I}$-NHHOWSM) or time-reversal symmetry $mathcal{T}$ ($mathcal{T}$-NHHOWSM). When the reality of bulk spectra is lost, the NHHOWSMs exhibit various configurations of surface Fermi Arcs (FAs) and Exceptional Fermi Rings (EFRs), providing a setup to investigate them on an equal footing. The EFRs only appear in the region between 2nd-order WNs. We also discover Weyl nodes originating from non-Hermicity, called non-Hermitian Weyl nodes (NHWNs). Remarkably, we find T-NHHOWSMs which host only 2nd-order NHWNs, having both surface and hinge FAs protected by the quantized biorthogonal Chern number and quadrupole moment, respectively. We call this intrinsically non-Hermitian phase exceptional HOWSM. In contrast to ordinary WNs, the NHWNs can instantly deform to line nodes, forming a monopole comet. The NHWNs also show exceptional tilt-rigidity, which is a strong resistance towards titling due to attachment to exceptional structures. This phenomenon can be a promising experimental knob. Finally, we reveal the exceptional stability of FAs called exceptional helicity. Surface FAs having opposite chirality can live on the same surface without gapping out each other due to the complex nature of the spectrum. Our work motivates an immediate experimental realization of NHHOWSMs.
This work reports the general design and characterization of two exotic, anomalous nonequilibrium topological phases. In equilibrium systems, the Weyl nodes or the crossing points of nodal lines may become the transition points between higher-order and first-order topological phases defined on two-dimensional slices, thus featuring both hinge Fermi arc and surface Fermi arc. We advance this concept by presenting a strategy to obtain, using time-sequenced normal insulator phases only, Floquet higher-order Weyl semimetals and Floquet higher-order nexus semimetals, where the concerned topological singularities in the three-dimensional Brillouin zone border anomalous two-dimensional higher-order Floquet phases. The fascinating topological phases we obtain are previously unknown and can be experimentally studied using, for example, a three-dimensional lattice of coupled ring resonators.
Higher-order topology yields intriguing multidimensional topological phenomena, while Weyl semimetals have unconventional properties such as chiral anomaly. However, so far, Weyl physics remain disconnected with higher-order topology. Here, we report the theoretical discovery of higher-order Weyl points and thereby the establishment of such an important connection. We demonstrate that higher-order Weyl points can emerge in chiral materials such as chiral tetragonal crystals as the intermediate phase between the conventional Weyl semimetal and 3D higher-order topological phases. Higher-order Weyl semimetals manifest themselves uniquely by exhibiting concurrent chiral Fermi-arc surface states, topological hinge states, and the momentum-dependent fractional hinge charge, revealing a novel class of higher-order topological phases.
We report on the dynamical formation of exceptional degeneracies in basic correlation functions of non-integrable one- and two-dimensional systems quenched to the vicinity of a critical point. Remarkably, fine-tuned semi-metallic points in the phase diagram of the considered systems are thereby promoted to topologically robust non-Hermitian (NH) nodal phases emerging in the coherent long-time evolution of a dynamically equilibrating system. In the framework of non-equilibrium Greens function methods within the conserving second Born approximation, we predict observable signatures of these novel NH nodal phases in simple spectral functions as well as in the time-evolution of momentum distribution functions.