No Arabic abstract
Classifications of symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases provide a framework to systematically understand the physical properties and potential applications of topological systems. While such classifications have been widely explored in the context of Hermitian systems, a complete understanding of the roles of more general non-Hermitian symmetries and their associated classification is still lacking. Here, we derive a periodic table for non-interacting SPTs with general non-Hermitian symmetries. Our analysis reveals novel non-Hermitian topological classes, while also naturally incorporating the entire classification of Hermitian systems as a special case of our scheme. Building on top of these results, we derive two independent generalizations of Kramers theorem to the non-Hermitian setting, which constrain the spectra of the system and lead to new topological invariants. To elucidate the physics behind the periodic table, we provide explicit examples of novel non-Hermitian topological invariants, focusing on the symmetry classes in zero, one and two dimensions with new topological classifications (e.g. $mathbb{Z}$ in 0D, $mathbb{Z}_2$ in 1D, 2D). These results thus provide a framework for the design and engineering of non-Hermitian symmetry-protected topological systems.
Knots have a twisted history in quantum physics. They were abandoned as failed models of atoms. Only much later was the connection between knot invariants and Wilson loops in topological quantum field theory discovered. Here we show that knots tied by the eigenenergy strings provide a complete topological classification of one-dimensional non-Hermitian (NH) Hamiltonians with separable bands. A $mathbb{Z}_2$ knot invariant, the global biorthogonal Berry phase $Q$ as the sum of the Wilson loop eigenphases, is proved to be equal to the permutation parity of the NH bands. We show the transition between two phases characterized by distinct knots occur through exceptional points and come in two types. We further develop an algorithm to construct the corresponding tight-binding NH Hamiltonian for any desired knot, and propose a scheme to probe the knot structure via quantum quench. The theory and algorithm are demonstrated by model Hamiltonians that feature for example the Hopf link, the trefoil knot, the figure-8 knot and the Whitehead link.
Without the constraint imposed by Hermiticity, non-Hermitian systems enjoy greater freedom than Hermitian ones. While the non-Hermitian ramification of non-spatial (internal) symmetries has been revealed, spatial symmetries remain to be explored. Here, we identify intrinsically non-Hermitian spatial symmetries using the same reasoning as non-spatial symmetry ramification. The symmetry endows exceptional topological semimetals with global topological structures, by preserving exceptional points but altering their topological invariants nonlocally. Furthermore, the global band configuration in the bulk is strongly constrained by non-Hermitian spatial symmetry, due to the intertwining of left and right eigen-systems at symmetry-related locations in momentum space. We illustrate our theory using two novel topological phases: exceptional unconventional Weyl semimetals and exceptional triple-point semimetals, in which the global structures of exceptional points, exceptional lines, and higher-order exceptional points are stabilized by one or more non-Hermitian spatial symmetries. We propose a cold-atom experiment to realize the exceptional unconventional Weyl semimetals.
We identify and investigate two classes of non-Hermitian systems, i.e., one resulting from Lorentz-symmetry violation (LSV) and the other from a complex mass (CM) with Lorentz invariance, from the perspective of quantum field theory. The mechanisms to break, and approaches to restore, the bulk-boundary correspondence in these two types of non-Hermitian systems are clarified. The non-Hermitian system with LSV shows a non-Hermitian skin effect, and its topological phase can be characterized by mapping it to the Hermitian system via a non-compact $U(1)$ gauge transformation. In contrast, there exists no non-Hermitian skin effect for the non-Hermitian system with CM. Moreover, the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence holds in this (CM) system. We also consider a general non-Hermitian system in the presence of both LSV and CM, and we generalize its bulk-boundary correspondence.
Based on a general transport theory for non-reciprocal non-Hermitian systems and a topological model that encompasses a wide range of previously studied models, we (i) provide conditions for effects such as reflectionless and transparent transport, lasing, and coherent perfect absorption, (ii) identify which effects are compatible and linked with each other, and (iii) determine by which levers they can be tuned independently. For instance, the directed amplification inherent in the non-Hermitian skin effect does not enter the spectral conditions for reflectionless transport, lasing, or coherent perfect absorption, but allows to adjust the transparency of the system. In addition, in the topological model the conditions for reflectionless transport depend on the topological phase, but those for coherent perfect absorption do not. This then allows us to establish a number of distinct transport signatures of non-Hermitian, nonreciprocal, and topological behaviour, in particular (I) reflectionless transport in a direction that depends on the topological phase, (II) invisibility coinciding with the skin-effect phase transition of topological edge states, and (III) coherent perfect absorption in a system that is transparent when probed from one side.
Non-Hermiticity from non-reciprocal hoppings has been shown recently to demonstrate the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) under open boundary conditions (OBCs). Here we study the interplay of this effect and the Anderson localization in a textit{non-reciprocal} quasiperiodic lattice, dubbed non-reciprocal Aubry-Andr{e} model, and a textit{rescaled} transition point is exactly proved. The non-reciprocity can induce not only the NHSE, but also the asymmetry in localized states with two Lyapunov exponents for both sides. Meanwhile, this transition is also topological, characterized by a winding number associated with the complex eigenenergies under periodic boundary conditions (PBCs), establishing a textit{bulk-bulk} correspondence. This interplay can be realized by an elaborately designed electronic circuit with only linear passive RLC devices instead of elusive non-reciprocal ones, where the transport of a continuous wave undergoes a transition between insulating and amplifying. This initiative scheme can be immediately applied in experiments to other non-reciprocal models, and will definitely inspires the study of interplay of NHSEs and more other quantum/topological phenomena.