We introduce an accurate non-Hermitian Schrödinger-type approximation of Bloch optical equations for two-level systems. This approximation provides a complete description of the excitation, relaxation and decoherence dynamics in both weak and strong laser fields. In this approach, it is sufficient to propagate the wave function of the quantum system instead of the density matrix, providing that relaxation and dephasing are taken into account via automatically-adjusted time-dependent gain and decay rates. The developed formalism is applied to the problem of scattering and absorption of electromagnetic radiation by a thin layer comprised of interacting two-level emitters.
The competition between staggered imaginary potentials and lattice dimerization results in a unidirectional propagating coalescing state of a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) ring at an exceptional point. A segment of the SSH ring inherits the unidirectional feature and exhibits some intriguing dynamic behaviors when it is embedded in a Hermitian chain as a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric scattering center. Based on the Bethe ansatz scattering solution for the interface between Hermitian and non-Hermitian regions, we show that the SSH scattering center supports the following wave-packet dynam…
The quantum evolution of the Wigner function for Gaussian wave packets generated by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian is investigated. In the semiclassical limit $\hbar\to 0$ this yields the non-Hermitian analog of the Ehrenfest theorem for the dynamics of observable expectation values. The lack of Hermiticity reveals the importance of the complex structure on the classical phase space: The resulting equations of motion are coupled to an equation of motion for the phase space metric---a phenomenon having no analog in Hermitian theories.
Berry phases strongly affect the properties of crystalline materials, giving rise to modifications of the semiclassical equations of motion that govern wave-packet dynamics. In non-Hermitian systems, generalizations of the Berry connection have been analyzed to characterize the topology of these systems. While the topological classification of non-Hermitian systems is being developed, little attention has been paid to the impact of the new geometric phases on dynamics and transport. In this work, we derive the full set of semiclassical equations of motion for wave-packet dynamics in a system g…
Non-Hermiticity and dephasing, collaborating in an unusual wave packet dynamics, realizes unconventional entanglement evolution in a disordered, interacting and asymmetric (non-reciprocal) quantum medium. Taking the Hatano-Nelson model as a concrete example, we first consider how wave packet spreads in a non-Hermitian disordered system for demonstraing that it is very different from the Hermitian case. Interestingly, a cascade like wave packet spreading as in the Hermitian case is suppressed in the clean limit and at weak disorder, while it revives in the vicinity of the localization-delocaliz…
Non-Hermitian wave-packet dynamics and its realization within a non-Hermitian chiral cavity
School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学物理与天文学院）；Wilczek Quantum Center, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学物理与天文学院吴文裕量子中心）；Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Sciences（上海量子科学研究中心）；Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学李政道研究所）；Shanghai Branch, Hefei National Laboratory（合肥国家实验室上海分部）
We study the time evolution processes of non-Hermitian systems under the open boundary condition and confirm that the dynamical skin effect exists in non-Hermitian systems analytically, and unveil the mechanism of its formation, which is caused by both the non-Hermitian skin effect and the Hermitian wave packet spreading. Furthermore, we find that in contrast to the uniform speed motion in Hermitian situations, the Gaussian wave packet can be accelerated and amplified during its time evolution in non-Hermitian systems. This additional motion is found to be responsible for the dynamic skin effe…
We argue that the way to get the general solution of a Schrodinger equation in the presence of a time-dependent linear potential based on the Lewis-Riesenfeld framework is to use a Hermitian linear invariant operator. We demonstrate that the linear invariant proposed in p and q is an Hermitian operator which has the Gaussian wave packet as its eigenfunction.
Bloch oscillations (BOs), i.e. the oscillatory motion of a quantum particle in a periodic potential, are one of the most striking effects of coherent quantum transport in the matter. In the semiclassical picture, it is well known that BOs can be explained owing to the periodic band structure of the crystal and the so-called 'acceleration' theorem: since in the momentum space the particle wave packet drifts with a constant speed without being distorted, in real space the probability distribution of the particle undergoes a periodic motion following a trajectory which exactly reproduces the shap…
Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University（东北大学先进物质研究所）；Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light（马克斯·普朗克光科学研究所）；Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg（埃尔朗根-纽伦堡弗里德里希·亚历山大大学物理系）；RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS), RIKEN（理化学研究所跨学科理论与数学科学中心）
The radiation emitted by a single-electron wave packet in an intense laser field is considered. A relation between the exact quantum formulation and its classical counterpart is established via the electron's Wigner function. In particular we show that the wave packet, even when it spreads to the scale of the wavelength of the driving laser field, cannot be treated as an extended classical charge distribution but rather behaves as a point-like emitter carrying information on its initial quantum state. We outline an experimental setup dedicated to put this conclusion to the test.
Many features of Bloch oscillations in one-dimensional quantum lattices with a static force can be described by quasiclassical considerations for example by means of the acceleration theorem, at least for Hermitian systems. Here the quasiclassical approach is extended to non-Hermitian lattices, which are of increasing interest. The analysis is based on a generalised non-Hermitian phase space dynamics developed recently. Applications to a single-band tight-binding system demonstrate that many features of the quantum dynamics can be understood from this classical description qualitatively and ev…
Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, which describe a wide range of dissipative systems, and higher-order topological phases, which exhibit novel boundary states on corners and hinges, comprise two areas of intense current research. Here we investigate systems where these frontiers merge and formulate a generalized biorthogonal bulk-boundary correspondence, which dictates the appearance of boundary modes at parameter values that are, in general, radically different from those that mark phase transitions in periodic systems. By analyzing the interplay between corner/hinge, edge/surface and bulk degrees …
A non-Hermitian PT-symmetric system can have full real spectrum but does not ensure probability preserving time evolution, in contrast to that of a Hermitian system. We present a non-Hermitian two-band model, which is comprised of dimerized hopping terms and staggered imaginary on-site potentials, and study the dynamics in the exact PT-symmetric phase based on the exact solution. It is shown that an initial state, which does not involve two equal-momentum-vector eigenstates in different bands, obeys perfectly probability-preserving time evolution in terms of the Dirac inner product. Beyond thi…
Non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) describes the exponential localization of all eigenstates toward boundaries in non-Hermitian systems, and has attracted intense research interest of late. Here we theoretically propose a scheme in which the NHSE significantly impacts the external motion of a single trapped ion through complex spin-motion dynamics. On the one hand, we show the competition between the NHSE and the coherent Bloch dynamics. On the other hand, since the NHSE manifests as a non-reciprocal flow in occupied phonon modes, we demonstrate that such dynamics can have potential applications…
Complex potential and non-Hermitian hopping amplitude are building blocks of a non-Hermitian quantum network. Appropriate configuration, such as PT-symmetric distribution, can lead to the full real spectrum. To investigate the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon, we study the phase diagram of a semi-infinite non-Hermitian system. It consists of a finite non-Hermitian cluster and a semi-infinite lead. Based on the analysis of the solution of the concrete systems, it is shown that it can have the full real spectrum without any requirements on the symmetry and the wave function within the lea…
Zitterbewegung (ZB) is a phenomenon in relativistic quantum systems where the electron wave packet exhibits a trembling or oscillating behavior during its motion, caused by its interaction or coupling with the negative energy state. To directly observe ZB in electronic systems is difficult, due to the challenges associated with the atomic scale wavelength of the electron. Photonic systems offer an alternative paradigm. We exploit the concept of pseudo parity-time (pseudo PT ) symmetry to study ZB in non-Hermitian quantum systems implemented as an experimentally feasible optical waveguide array…
Non-Hermitian systems exhibit many peculiar dynamic behaviors which never showed up in Hermitian systems. The existence of spectral singularity (SS) for a non-Hermitian scattering center provides a lasing mechanism in the context of quantum mechanics. In this paper we show exactly that a finite system at exceptional point (EP) can also provide an alternative laser solution. We investigate the dynamics of non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model around EP, based on the analysis of parity-time (PT ) and chiral-time (CT ) symmetries of the Hamiltonian. In contrast to the SS lasing mechanism…
Non-Hermitian skin effect, namely that the eigenvalues and eigenstates of a non-Hermitian tight-binding Hamiltonian have significant differences under open or periodic boundary conditions, is a remarkable phenomenon of non-Hermitian systems. Inspired by the presence of the non-Hermitian skin effect, we study the evolution of wave-packets in non-Hermitian systems, which can be determined using the single-particle Green's function. Surprisingly, we find that in the thermodynamical limit, the Green's function does not depend on boundary conditions, despite the presence of skin effect. We proffer …
We study the formation of band gap bound states induced by a non-Hermitian impurity embedded in a Hermitian system. We show that a pair of bound states emerges inside the band gap when a parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) imaginary potential is added in a strongly coupled bilayer lattices and the bound states become strongly localized when the system approaches to the exceptional point (EP). As a direct consequence of such $\mathcal{PT}$ impurity-induced bound states, an impurity array can be constructed and protected by energy gap. The effective Hamiltonian of the impurity array is non-Hermitian Su…
Impurity-induced loss bursts from anomalous scale-free localization in a non-Hermitian dissipative lattice
Institute of Theoretical Physics and State Key Laboratory of Quantum Optics and Quantum Optics Devices, Shanxi University（山西大学理论物理研究所和量子光学与量子光学器件国家重点实验室）
Non-Hermitian systems exhibit nontrivial band topology and a strong sensitivity of the energy spectrum on the boundary conditions. Remarkably, a macroscopic number of bulk states get squeezed toward the lattice edges under open boundary conditions, an effect dubbed the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE). A well-established dynamical signature of the NHSE in real space is the directional bulk flow (or persistent current) for arbitrary initial excitation of the system, which is observed at long times. Here we unravel a different dynamical signature of the NHSE in real space that manifests itself i…
The non-Hermitian quadratic oscillator studied by Swanson is one of the popular $PT$-symmetric model systems. Here a full classical description of its dynamics is derived using recently developed metriplectic flow equations, which combine the classical symplectic flow for Hermitian systems with a dissipative metric flow for the anti-Hermitian part. Closed form expressions for the metric and phase-space trajectories are presented which are found to be periodic in time. Since the Hamiltonian is only quadratic the classical dynamics exactly describes the quantum dynamics of Gaussian wave packets.…
It was at the dawn of the historical developments of quantum mechanics when Schrödinger, Kennard and Darwin proposed an interesting type of Gaussian wave packets, which do not spread out while evolving in time. Originally, these wave packets are the prototypes of the renowned discovery, which are familiar as coherent states today. Coherent states are inevitable in the study of almost all areas of modern science, and the rate of progress of the subject is astonishing nowadays. Nonclassical states constitute one of the distinguished branches of coherent states having applications in various subj…
Both non-Hermitian systems and the behaviour of emitters coupled to structured baths have been studied intensely in recent years. Here we study the interplay of these paradigmatic settings. In a series of examples, we show that a single quantum emitter coupled to a non-Hermitian bath displays a number of unconventional behaviours, many without Hermitian counterpart. We first consider a unidirectional hopping lattice whose complex dispersion forms a loop. We identify peculiar bound states inside the loop as a manifestation of the non-Hermitian skin effect. In the same setting, emitted photons m…
Over the past two decades, open systems that are described by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian have become a subject of intense research. These systems encompass classical wave systems with balanced gain and loss, semiclassical models with mode selective losses, and minimal quantum systems, and the meteoric research on them has mainly focused on the wide range of novel functionalities they demonstrate. Here, we address the following questions: Does anything remain constant in the dynamics of such open systems? What are the consequences of such conserved quantities? Through spectral-decomposition me…
We discuss on the uncertainty relation (UR) for a closed one dimensional system (circle). In such a system, we cannot use the angle along the circle as a position variable. Otherwise we meet difficulties about the definition of the average position and the standard deviation (SD), and Hermitian property of angular momentum. From these reasons, we define the position variable as Cartesian variable $(X,Y)$ that have the periodic property for angle $ϕ$. In the same way we define a SD by using that variables. Then we obtain two URs. We also discuss the minimum wave packet (MWP) on the circle. MWPs…
We present a generalization of the perturbative construction of the metric operator for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with more than one perturbation parameter. We use this method to study the non-Hermitian scattering Hamiltonian: H=p^2/2m+ζ_-δ(x+a)+ζ_+δ(x-a), where ζ_\pm and a are respectively complex and real parameters and δ(x) is the Dirac delta function. For regions in the space of coupling constants ζ_\pm where H is quasi-Hermitian and there are no complex bound states or spectral singularities, we construct a (positive-definite) metric operator ηand the corresponding equivalent Hermitian H…
Noise-Enhanced Self-Healing Dynamics in Non-Hermitian Systems
School of Physics, Peking University（北京大学物理学院）；Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter（量子物质协同创新中心）；Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University（北京大学高能物理中心）
We consider non-Hermitian dynamics of a quantum particle hopping on a one-dimensional tight-binding lattice made of $N$ sites with asymmetric hopping rates induced by a time-periodic oscillating imaginary gauge field. A deeply different behavior is found depending on the lattice topology. While in a linear chain (open boundary conditions) an oscillating field can lead to a complex quasi energy spectrum via a multiple parametric resonance, in a ring topology (Born-von Karman periodic boundary conditions) an entirely real quasi energy spectrum can be found and the dynamics is pseudo-Hermitian. I…
We provide an explicit construction for Gazeau-Klauder coherent states related to non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with discrete bounded below and nondegenerate eigenspectrum. The underlying spacetime structure is taken to be of a noncommutative type with associated uncertainty relations implying minimal lengths. The uncertainty relations for the constructed states are shown to be saturated in a Hermitian as well as a non-Hermitian setting for a perturbed harmonic oscillator. The computed value of the Mandel parameter dictates that the coherent wavepackets are assembled according to sub-Poissonian s…
Anomalous Localization and Mobility Edges in Non-Hermitian Quasicrystals with Disordered Imaginary Gauge Fields
Sanli Honors College, School of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Shanxi University（山西大学物理与电子工程学院三立荣誉学院）；Institute of Theoretical Physics and State Key Laboratory of Quantum Optics Technologies and Devices, Shanxi University（山西大学理论物理研究所量子光学技术与器件国家重点实验室）；State Key Laboratory of Quantum Optics Technologies and Devices, Institute of Laser Spectroscopy, Shanxi University（山西大学激光光谱研究所量子光学技术与器件国家重点实验室）
A PT-symmetric Bose-Einstein condensate can be theoretically described using a complex optical potential, however, the experimental realization of such an optical potential describing the coherent in- and outcoupling of particles is a nontrivial task. We propose an experiment for a quantum mechanical realization of a PT-symmetric system, where the PT-symmetric currents of a two-well system are implemented by coupling two additional wells to the system, which act as particle reservoirs. In terms of a simple four-mode model we derive conditions under which the two middle wells of the Hermitian f…
Entanglement dynamics driven by topology and non-Hermiticity
Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学苏州高等研究院）；School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学物理科学学院）；Jiangnan University（江南大学）；Nanjing University（南京大学）；Soochow University（苏州大学）
Noise-Induced Resurrection of Dynamical Skin Effects in Quasiperiodic Non-Hermitian Systems
School of Physics, Peking University（北京大学物理学院）；Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter（量子物质协同创新中心）；Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University（北京大学高能物理中心）
Recent experimental advances in controlling dissipation have brought about unprecedented flexibility in engineering non-Hermitian Hamiltonians in open classical and quantum systems. A particular interest centers on the topological properties of non-Hermitian systems, which exhibit unique phases with no Hermitian counterparts. However, no systematic understanding in analogy with the periodic table of topological insulators and superconductors has been achieved. In this paper, we develop a coherent framework of topological phases of non-Hermitian systems. After elucidating the physical meaning a…
High-harmonic generation (HHG) spectrum from a LiH molecule induced by an intense laser pulse is computed and analyzed with potential energy surfaces for electron motion (ePES) constructed from a model of localized electron wave packets (EWP) with valence-bond spin-coupling. The molecule has two valence ePES with binding energies of 0.39 hartree and 1.1 hartree. The HHG spectrum from an electron dynamics on the weaker bound valence ePES, virtually assigned to Li 2s, exhibits a dominant peak at the first harmonic without plateau and cut-off. This compares with the free electron spectrum under o…
We demonstrate a few unique dynamical properties of point-gap Weyl semimetal, an intrinsic non-Hermitian topological phase in three dimensions. We consider a concrete model where a pair of Weyl points reside on the imaginary axis of the complex energy plane, opening up a point gap characterized by a topological invariant, the three-winding number $W_3$. This gives rise to surface spectra and dynamical responses that differ fundamentally from those in Hermitian Weyl semimetals. First, we predict a time-dependent current flow along the magnetic field in the absence of an electric field, in sharp…
The Aubry-André-Harper model provides a paradigmatic example of aperiodic order in a one-dimensional lattice displaying a delocalization-localization phase transition at a finite critical value $V_c$ of the quasiperiodic potential amplitude $V$. In terms of dynamical behavior of the system, the phase transition is discontinuous when one measures the quantum diffusion exponent $δ$ of wave packet spreading, with $δ=1$ in the delocalized phase $V<V_c$ (ballistic transport), $δ\simeq 1/2$ at the critical point $V=V_c$ (diffusive transport), and $δ=0$ in the localized phase $V>V_c$ (dynamical local…
