No Arabic abstract
We theoretically investigate the emergence of non-hermitian physics at the heterojunction of a type-II Dirac semi-metal (DSM) and a dirty superconductor (DSC). The non-hermiticity is introduced in the DSM through the self-energy term incorporated via the dirtiness of the superconducting material. This causes the spectra of the effective Hamiltonian to become complex, which gives rise to the appearance of the exceptional points (EPs). This complex self energy, apart from having a frequency dependence, also acquires spatial dependence as well, which is unique and can provide interesting effects related to non-hermitian physics in spectral function analysis. At an appropriate distance from the normal metal-superconductor junction of the DSC, non-hermitian degeneracies appear and a single Dirac point splits into two EPs. In the spectral function analysis, apart from the EPs, a Fermi-arc like structure also emerges, which connects the two degeneracies (EPs). The results discussed here are distinctive and possibly can be realized in spectroscopy measurements.
Non-Hermitian systems distinguish themselves from Hermitian systems by exhibiting a phase transition point called an exceptional point (EP), which is the point at which two eigenstates coalesce under a system parameter variation. Many interesting EP phenomena such as level crossings/repulsions in nuclear/molecular and condensed matter physics, and unusual phenomena in optics such as loss-induced lasing and unidirectional transmission can be understood by considering a simple 2x2 non-Hermitian matrix. At a higher dimension, more complex EP physics not found in two-state systems arises. We consider the emergence and interaction of multiple EPs in a four-state system theoretically and realize the system experimentally using four coupled acoustic cavities with asymmetric losses. We find that multiple EPs can emerge and as the system parameters vary, these EPs can collide and merge, leading to higher order singularities and topological characteristics much richer than those seen in two-state systems.
A pair of anisotropic exceptional points (EPs) of arbitrary order are found in a class of non-Hermitian random systems with asymmetric hoppings. Both eigenvalues and eigenvectors exhibit distinct behaviors when these anisotropic EPs are approached from two orthogonal directions in the parameter space. For an order-$N$ anisotropic EP, the critical exponents $ u$ of phase rigidity are $(N-1)/2$ and $N-1$, respectively. These exponents are universal within the class. The order-$N$ anisotropic EPs split and trace out multiple ellipses of EPs of order $2$ in the parameter space. For some particular configurations, all the EP ellipses coalesce and form a ring of EPs of order $N$. Crossover to the conventional order-$N$ EPs with $ u=(N-1)/N$ is discussed.
The electronic structure of a crystalline solid is largely determined by its lattice structure. Recent advances in van der Waals solids, artificial crystals with controlled stacking of two-dimensional (2D) atomic films, have enabled the creation of materials with novel electronic structures. In particular, stacking graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) introduces moire superlattice that fundamentally modifies graphenes band structure and gives rise to secondary Dirac points (SDPs). Here we find that the formation of a moire superlattice in graphene on hBN yields new, unexpected consequences: a set of tertiary Dirac points (TDPs) emerge, which give rise to additional sets of Landau levels when the sample is subjected to an external magnetic field. Our observations hint at the formation of a hidden Kekule superstructure on top of the moire superlattice under appropriate carrier doping and magnetic fields.
Topological nodal-line semimetals with exotic quantum properties are characterized by symmetry-protected line-contact bulk band crossings in the momentum space. However, in most of identified topological nodal-line compounds, these topological non-trivial nodal lines are enclosed by complicated topological trivial states at the Fermi energy ($E_F$), which would perplex their identification and hinder further applications. Utilizing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations, we provide compelling evidence for the existence of Dirac nodal-line fermions in the monoclinic semimetal SrAs$_3$, which are close to $E_F$ and away from distraction of complex trivial Fermi surfaces or surface states. Our calculation indicates that two bands with opposite parity are inverted around emph{Y} near $E_F$, which results in the single nodal loop at the $Gamma$-emph{Y}-emph{S} plane with a negligible spin-orbit coupling effect. We track these band crossings and then unambiguously identify the complete nodal loop quantitatively, which provides a critical experimental support to the prediction of nodal-line fermions in the CaP$_3$ family of materials. Hosting simple topological non-trivial bulk electronic states around $E_F$ and no interfering with surface states on the natural cleavage plane, SrAs$_3$ is expected to be a potential platform for topological quantum state investigation and applications.
We uncover the existence of Dirac and exceptional points in waveguides made of anisotropic materials, and study the transition between them. Dirac points in the dispersion diagram appear at propagation directions where the matrix describing the eigenvalue problem for bound states splits into two blocks, sorting the eigenmodes either by polarization or by inner mode symmetry. Introducing a non-Hermitian channel via a suitable leakage mechanism causes the Dirac points to transform into exceptional points connected by a Fermi arc. The exceptional points arise as improper hybrid leaky states and, importantly, are found to occur always out of the anisotropy symmetry planes.