Green's functions are fundamental quantities that determine the linear responses of physical systems. The recent developments of non-Hermitian systems, therefore, call for Green's function formulas of non-Hermitian bands. This task is complicated by the high sensitivity of energy spectrums to boundary conditions, which invalidates the straightforward generalization of Hermitian formulas. Here, based on the non-Bloch band theory, we obtain simple Green's function formulas of general one-dimensional non-Hermitian bands. Furthermore, in the large-size limit, these formulas dramatically reduce to finding the roots of a simple algebraic equation. As an application, our formulation provides the desirable formulas for the defining quantities, the gain and directionality, of directional amplification. Thus, our formulas provide an efficient guide for designing directional amplifiers.
The Bloch-oscillating transistor (BOT) is an amplifier that utilizes semiclassical dynamics of states in energy bands under traveling quasimomentum. In a BOT, a single quasiparticle tunneling across a base tunnel junction switches the state of a superconducting tunnel junction to a lower Bloch band, triggering a series of resonant Cooper-pair tunnelings through an emitter Josephson junction (Bloch oscillations). Here, we investigate experimentally and theoretically an alternative realization of this device, based only on superconducting tunnel junctions. We discover new amplification schemes, …
Directional amplification, in which signals are selectively amplified depending on their propagation direction, has attracted much attention as key resource for applications, including quantum information processing. Recently, several, physically very different, directional amplifiers have been proposed and realized in the lab. In this work, we present a unifying framework based on topology to understand non-reciprocity and directional amplification in driven-dissipative cavity arrays. Specifically, we unveil a one-to-one correspondence between a non-zero topological invariant defined on the s…
Directional transmission or amplification of microwave signals is indispensable in various applications involving sensitive measurements. In this work we show in experiment how to use a generic cavity optomechanical setup to non-reciprocally amplify microwave signals above 3 GHz in one direction by 9 decibels, and simultaneously attenuate the transmission in the opposite direction by 21 decibels. We use a device including two on-chip superconducting resonators and two metallic drumhead mechanical oscillators. Application of four microwave pump tone frequencies allows for designing constructive…
We provide a theoretical description of light scattering by a spherical particle whose permittivity is modulated in time at twice the frequency of the incident light. Such a particle acts as a finite-sized photonic time crystal and, despite its sub-wavelength spatial extent, can host optical parametric amplification. Conditions of parametric Mie resonances in the sphere are derived. We show that time-modulated materials provide a route to tailor directional light amplification, qualitatively different from that in scatterers made from a gain media. We design two characteristic time-modulated s…
We discuss a general method for constructing nonreciprocal, cavity-based photonic devices, based on matching a given coherent interaction with its corresponding dissipative counterpart; our method generalizes the basic structure used in the theory of cascaded quantum systems, and can render an extremely wide class of interactions directional. In contrast to standard interference-based schemes, our approach allows directional behavior over a wide bandwidth. We show how it can be used to devise isolators and directional, quantum-limited amplifiers. We discuss in detail how this general method al…
Here, we investigate the nonreciprocal propagation and amplification of surface plasmons in drift-current biased graphene, using both Galilean and relativistic-type Doppler shift transformations of the graphene's conductivity. Consistent with previous studies, both conductivity models predict strongly nonreciprocal propagation of surface plasmons due to the drag effect caused by the drifting electrons. In particular, the Galilean Doppler shift model leads to stronger spectral asymmetries in the plasmon dispersion with regimes of unidirectional propagation. Remarkably, it is shown that both con…
We study theoretically the feasibility of amplification and generation of terahertz radiation in dc-ac-driven semiconductor superlattices in the absence of electric domains. We find that if in addition to dc bias a strong THz pump field is applied, Bloch gain profile for a small THz signal can be achieved under conditions of positive static differential conductivity. Here the positive differential conductivity arises, similarly to the case of large-signal amplification scheme [H. Kroemer, cond-mat/0009311)], due to modifications of dc current density caused by the application of high-frequency…
Rabi flopping between Bloch bands induced by a weak ac resonant field is a coherent effect involving interband transitions. Here we consider the fundamental processes of emission/absorption of quanta and Rabi oscillations in non-Hermitian two-band lattices exhibiting unbalanced non-Hermitian skin effect, and unveil an unprecedented scenario of Rabi flopping. The effective dipole moment of the transition - usually considered a bulk property - is however strongly dependent on boundary conditions, being greatly enhanced with increased Rabi frequency only when open boundaries are present. As the f…
Green's function in non-Hermitian systems has recently been revealed to be capable of directional amplification in some cases. The exact formulas for end-to-end Green's functions are significantly important for studies of both non-Hermitian systems and their applications. In this work, based on the Widom's formula, we derive exact formulas for the end-to-end Green's functions of single-band systems which depend on the roots of a simple algebraic equation. These exact formulas allow direct and accurate comparisons between theoretical results and experimentally measured quantities. In addition, …
Topologically engineered optical materials support robust light transport. Herein, the investigated non-Hermitian lattice is trimerized and inhomogeneously coupled using uniform intracell coupling. The topological properties of the coupled waveguide lattice are evaluated, the PT-symmetric phase of a PT-symmetric lattice can have different topologies; the edge states depend on the lattice size, boundary configuration, and competition between the coupling and degree of non-Hermiticity. The topologically nontrivial region extends in the presence of periodic gain and loss. The nonzero geometric ph…
We investigate non-Hermitian elastic lattices characterized by non-local feedback control interactions. In one-dimensional lattices, we show that the proportional control interactions produce complex dispersion relations characterized by gain and loss in opposite propagation directions. Depending on the non-local nature of the control interactions, the resulting non-reciprocity occurs in multiple frequency bands characterized by opposite non-reciprocal behavior. The dispersion topology is also investigated with focus on winding numbers and non-Hermitian skin effect, which manifests itself thro…
