Externally controllable band gap properties of a material is crucial in designing optoelectronic devices with desirable properties on-demand. Here, a possibility of single parameter tuning of trivial to non-trivial topological band gap by the introduction of linear gain in an otherwise trivial insulator is investigated. Gain is selectively injected into a one dimensional lattice of dimers such that the resulting non-Hermitian Hamiltonian is symmetric under space-inversion but not under time-reversal. Inversion-symmetry of the lattice renders to probe the bulk-boundary correspondence and topological invariance by the bi-orthogonal Zak phase associated with a bulk Hamiltonian. Topological trivial to nontrivial phase transition and emergence of protected edge states are analytically shown to occur when the gain parameter is tuned across a non-Hermitian degeneracy. Tuneability of edge state location both at the boundary and inside the bulk by altering the gain distribution is discussed. Confirmation of gain-controlled topological edge state is reported in a realistic design of InGaAsP semiconductor cavity array.
A non-Hermitian topological insulator with real spectrum is interesting in the theory of non-Hermitian extension of topological systems. We find an experimentally realizable example of a two dimensional non-Hermitian topological insulator with real spectrum. We consider two-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model with gain and loss. We introduce non-Hermitian polarization vector to explore topological phase and show that topological edge states in the band gap exist in the system.
Topological states in non-Hermitian systems are known to exhibit some anomalous features. Here, we find two new anomalous features of non-Hermitian topological states. We consider a one dimensional nonreciprocal Hamiltonian and show that topological robustness can be practically lost for a linear combination of topological eigenstates in non-Hermitian systems due to the non-Hermitian skin effect. We consider a two dimensional non-Hermitian Chern insulator and show that chirality of topological states can be broken at some parameters of the Hamiltonan. This implies that the topological states a…
We investigate topological lasers in combination of nonlinear, non-Hermitian and topological lattice systems based on a quench dynamics starting from one site. We consider explicitly the topological laser in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model with two topological edge states and the second-order topological laser in the breathing Kagome lattice with three topological corner states. Once we stimulate any one site, after a delay, all sites belonging to the topological edge or corner states begin to emit stable laser light depending on the density of states, although no wave propagation is obse…
The discovery of topological phases in non-Hermitian open classical and quantum systems challenges our current understanding of topological order. Non-Hermitian systems exhibit unique features with no counterparts in topological Hermitian models, such as failure of the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence and non-Hermitian skin effect. Advances in the understanding of the topological properties of non-Hermitian lattices with translational invariance have been reported in several recent studies, however little is known about non-Hermitian quasicrystals. Here we disclose topological phases …
Non-Hermitian systems can host topological states with novel topological invariants and bulk-edge correspondences that are distinct from conventional Hermitian systems. Here we show that two unique classes of non-Hermitian 2D topological phases, a 2$\mathbb{Z}$ non-Hermitian Chern insulator and a $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ topological semimetal, can be realized by tuning staggered asymmetric hopping strengths in a 1D superlattice. These non-Hermitian topological phases support real edge modes due to robust $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric-like spectra and can coexist in certain parameter regime. The proposed ph…
We introduce modulational instability in non-Hermitian systems to study state conversion of topological edge states. We show that state conversion in non-Hermitian systems leads to topological pumping, which is a way of transferring topological edge state from one edge to the opposite edge. In contrast to Hermitian systems, topological pumping can occur spontaneously in non-Hermitian systems.
Eigenenergies of a non-Hermitian system without parity-time symmetry are complex in general. Here, we show that the chiral boundary states of higher-dimensional (two-dimensional and three-dimensional) non-Hermitian topological insulators without parity-time symmetry can be Hermitian with real eigenenergies under certain conditions. Our approach allows one to construct Hermitian chiral edge and hinge states from non-Hermitian two-dimensional Chern insulators and three-dimensional second-order topological insulators, respectively. Such Hermitian chiral boundary channels have perfect transmission…
Non-Hermiticity alters topology with the presence of non-Hermitian factors in topological systems. Most existing non-Hermitian topological systems derive their topological phases from Hermitian components, that is, the gain and loss of the system are considered simultaneously. In this work, we reveal two-dimensional non-Hermitian high-order topological insulator based on one-dimensional SSH chain, the nontrivial topology of which induced by total-loss. By introducing the loss of a specific configuration, we get a band gap with corner and edge states whose topology is characterized by the gappe…
We provide a systematic study of non-Hermitian topologically charged systems. Starting from a Hermitian Hamiltonian supporting Weyl points with arbitrary topological charge, adding a non-Hermitian perturbation transforms the Weyl points to one-dimensional exceptional contours. We analytical prove that the topological charge is preserved on the exceptional contours. In contrast to Hermitian systems, the addition of gain and loss allows for a new class of topological phase transition: when two oppositely charged exceptional contours touch, the topological charge can dissipate without opening a g…
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 incorporat…
Topological features embedded in ancient braiding and knotting arts endow significant impacts on our daily life and even cutting-edge science. Recently, fast growing efforts are invested to the braiding topology of complex Bloch bands in non-Hermitian systems. This new classification of band topology goes far beyond those established in Hermitian counterparts. Here, we present the first acoustic realization of the topological non-Hermitian Bloch braids, based on a two-band model easily accessible for realizing any desired knot structure. The non-Hermitian bands are synthesized by a simple bina…
In this paper, with the help of Hermitian/non-Hermitian dynamic strings, the theory of non-Hermitian topological order is developed based on a non-Hermitian Wen-plaquette model. The effective models for bosonic topological excitations (e-particle and m-particle) are Hermitian tight-binding lattice model; the effective model for fermionic topological excitation (f-particle) becomes a non-Hermitian tight-binding lattice model. In addition, the effective pseudo-spin model for topologically degenerate ground states is derived by calculating the expectation values of Hermitian/non-Hermitian topolog…
Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs), an unusual class of electromagnetic metamaterials, have found important applications in various fields due to their distinctive properties. A surprising feature of HMMs is that even continuous HMMs can possess topological edge modes. However, previous studies based on equal-frequency surface (analogy of Fermi surface) may not correctly capture the topology of entire bands. Here we develop a topological band description for continuous HMMs that can be described by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian formulated from Maxwell's equations. We find two types of three dimensi…
A non-Hermitian topological insulator is fundamentally different from conventional topological insulators. The non-Hermitian skin effect arises in a nonreciprocal tight binding lattice with open edges. In this case, not only topological states but also bulk states are localized around the edges of the nonreciprocal system. We discuss that controllable switching from topological edge states into topological extended states in a chiral symmetric non-Hermitian system is possible. We show that the skin depth decreases with non-reciprocity for bulk states but increases with it for topological zero …
Spectra of bulk or edges in topological insulators are often made complex by non-Hermiticity. Here, we show that symmetry protection enables entirely real spectra for both bulk and edges even in non-Hermitian topological insulators. In particular, we demonstrate entirely real spectra without non-Hermitian skin effects due to a combination of pseudo-Hermiticity and Kramers degeneracy. This protection relies on nonspatial fundamental symmetry and has stability against disorder. As an illustrative example, we investigate a non-Hermitian extension of the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model. The helical ed…
We introduce a one dimensional non-Hermitian four band tight binding lattice system. We find stable topological edge states protected by particle-hole and parity-time symmetries. We show that topological phase appears in the system. We discuss that the system can also be used as a topological laser if the gain and loss positions in a unit cell are judiciously arranged.
The interplay between non-Hermiticity and topology opens an exciting avenue for engineering novel topological matter with unprecedented properties. While previous studies have mainly focused on one-dimensional systems or Chern insulators, here we investigate topological phase transitions to/from quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators driven by non-Hermiticity. We show that a trivial to QSH insulator phase transition can be induced by solely varying non-Hermitian terms, and there exists exceptional edge arcs in QSH phases. We establish two topological invariants for characterizing the non-Hermitian…
The hallmark of symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases is the existence of anomalous boundary states, which can only be realized with the corresponding bulk system. In this work, we show that for every Hermitian anomalous boundary mode of the ten Altland-Zirnbauer classes, a non-Hermitian counterpart can be constructed, whose long time dynamics provides a realization of the anomalous boundary state. We prove that the non-Hermitian counterpart is characterized by a point-gap topological invariant, and furthermore, that the invariant exactly matches that of the corresponding Hermitian anoma…
The topological spin-Hall effect causes different spins to propagate in opposite directions based on Hermitian physics. The non-Hermitian skin effect causes the localization of a large number of modes of a system at its edges. Here we propose a system based on exciton-polariton elliptical micropillars hosting both the effects. The polarization splitting of the elliptical micropillars gives rise to the topological spin-Hall effect in a one dimensional lattice. When a circularly polarized external incoherent laser is used to imbalance effective decay rates of the different spin polarizations, th…
The breakdown of the bulk-boundary correspondence in non-Hermitian (NH) topological systems is an open, controversial issue. In this paper, to resolve this issue, we ask the following question: Can a (global) topological invariant completely describe the topological properties of a NH system as its Hermitian counterpart? Our answer is no. One cannot use a global topological invariant (including non-Bloch topological invariant) to accurately characterize the topological properties of the NH systems. Instead, there exist a new type of topological invariants that are absence in its Hermitian coun…
We study a topological band degeneracy in non-Hermitian systems with parity-time ($PT$) and parity-particle-hole ($CP$) symmetries. In $d$-dimensional non-Hermitian systems, it is shown that $(d-1)$-dimensional exceptional surfaces can appear from band touching thanks to $PT$ or $CP$ symmetry. We investigate the topological stability and zero-gap quasiparticles for the exceptional surfaces due to the band degeneracy. We also demonstrate the band degeneracy by using lattice models of a topological semimetal and a superconductor.
In this paper, based on a non-Hermitian toric-code model, we surprisingly find that the degeneracy of ground states can be changed by a local non-Hermitian perturbation (even in thermodynamic limit). We call it non-Hermitian avalanche effect. As the physics consequences of the non-Hermitian avalanche effect, a correspondence between bulk quasi-particles and topologically protected degenerate ground states for Z2 topological order is borken down. In addition, the PT symmetry breaking transition of the topologically degenerate ground states subspace can be observed by fidelity susceptibility.
Constructing new topological phases is very important in both Hermitian and non-Hermitian systems because of their potential applications. Here we propose theoretically and demonstrate a general scheme experimentally to construct Nth power root (NPR) topological phases. Such a scheme is not only suitable for Hermitian systems, but also non-Hermitian systems. It is found that the robust degree of edge state in the Hermitian system becomes stronger and stronger with the increase of N. It tends to be a strongly surface localized form when N is large enough. In the non-Hermitian system, the skin e…
The topology of non-Hermitian systems is drastically shaped by the non-Hermitian skin effect, which leads to the generalized bulk-boundary correspondence and non-Bloch band theory. The essential part in formulations of bulk-boundary correspondence is a general and computable definition of topological invariants. In this paper, we introduce a construction of non-Hermitian topological invariants based directly on real-space wavefunctions, which provides a general and straightforward approach for determining non-Hermitian topology. As an illustration, we apply this formulation to several represen…
So far, topological band theory is discussed mainly for systems described by eigenvalue problems. Here, we develop a topological band theory described by a generalized eigenvalue problem (GEVP). Our analysis elucidates that non-Hermitian topological band structures may emerge for systems described by a GEVP with Hermitian matrices. The above result is verified by analyzing a two-dimensional toy model where symmetry-protected exceptional rings (SPERs) emerge although the matrices involved are Hermitian. Remarkably, these SPERs are protected by emergent symmetry, which is unique to the systems d…
The non-trivial topological features in the energy band of non-Hermitian systems provide promising pathways to achieve robust physical behaviors in classical or quantum open systems. A key topological feature, unique to non-Hermitian systems, is the non-trivial winding of the energy band in the complex energy plane. Here we provide direct experimental demonstrations of such non-trivial winding, by implementing non-Hermitian lattice Hamiltonians along a frequency synthetic dimension formed in a ring resonator undergoing simultaneous phase and amplitude modulations, and by directly characterizin…
We relate topological properties of non-Hermitian systems and observables of quantum open systems by using the Keldysh path-integral method. We express Keldysh Green's functions in terms of effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonians that contain all the relevant topological information. We arrive at a frequency dependent topological index that is linked to the response of the system to perturbations at a given frequency. We show how to detect a transition between different topological phases by measuring the response to local perturbations. Our formalism is exemplified in a 1D Hatano-Nelson model, h…
We study the characterization and realization of higher-order topological Anderson insulator (HOTAI) in non-Hermitian systems, where the non-Hermitian mechanism ensures extra symmetries as well as gain and loss disorder.We illuminate that the quadrupole moment $Q_{xy}$ can be used as the real space topological invariant of non-Hermitian higher-order topological insulator (HOTI). Based on the biorthogonal bases and non-Hermitian symmetries, we prove that $Q_{xy}$ can be quantized to $0$ or $0.5$. Considering the disorder effect, we find the disorder-induced phase transition from normal insulato…
In two-dimensional anomalous Floquet insulators, non-Hermitian boundary state engineering can be used to completely separate chiral boundary states from bulk bands in the quasienergy spectrum. The topological properties of such spectrally separated boundary states are no longer restricted by the strict bulk-boundary correspondence of Hermitian systems. We show that this additional topological freedom enables one to faithfully transfer the topological properties of a boundary attached to a Floquet insulator to a non-Hermitian Floquet chain obtained by physically cutting off the boundary from th…
We analyze chiral topological edge modes in a non-Hermitian variant of the 2D Dirac equation. Such modes appear at interfaces between media with different "masses" and/or signs of the "non-Hermitian charge". The existence of these edge modes is intimately related to exceptional points of the bulk Hamiltonians, i.e., degeneracies in the bulk spectra of the media. We find that the topological edge modes can be divided into three families ("Hermitian-like", "non-Hermitian", and "mixed"), these are characterized by two winding numbers, describing two distinct kinds of half-integer charges carried …
We classify topological phases of non-Hermitian systems in the Altland-Zirnbauer classes with an additional reflection symmetry in all dimensions. By mapping the non-Hermitian system into an enlarged Hermitian Hamiltonian with an enforced chiral symmetry, our topological classification is thus equivalent to classifying Hermitian systems with both chiral and reflection symmetries, which effectively change the classifying space and shift the periodical table of topological phases. According to our classification tables, we provide concrete examples for all topologically nontrivial non-Hermitian …
We study a non-Hermitian non-Abelian topological insulator preserving $PT$ symmetry, where the non-Hermitian term represents nonreciprocal hoppings. As it increases, a spontaneous $PT$ symmetry breaking transition occurs in the perfect-flat band model from a real-line-gap topological insulator into an imaginary-line-gap topological insulator. By introducing a band bending term, we realize two phase transitions, where a metallic phase emerges between the above two topological insulator phases. We discuss an electric-circuit realization of non-Hermitian non-Abelian topological insulators. We fin…
Topological phases are enriched in non-equilibrium open systems effectively described by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. While several properties unique to non-Hermitian topological systems were uncovered, the fundamental role of symmetry in non-Hermitian physics has yet to be fully understood, and it has remained unclear how symmetry protects non-Hermitian topological phases. Here we show that two fundamental anti-unitary symmetries, time-reversal and particle-hole symmetries, are topologically equivalent in the complex energy plane and hence unified in non-Hermitian physics. A striking consequen…
The bulk-boundary correspondence is among the central issues of non-Hermitian topological states. We show that a previously overlooked `non-Hermitian skin effect' necessitates redefinition of topological invariants in a generalized Brillouin zone. The resultant phase diagrams dramatically differ from the usual Bloch theory. Specifically, we obtain the phase diagram of non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, whose topological zero modes are determined by the non-Bloch winding number instead of the Bloch-Hamiltonian-based topological number. Our work settles the issue of the breakdown of conve…
We characterize non-Hermitian band structures by symmetry indicator topological invariants. Enabled by crystalline inversion symmetry, these indicators allow us to short-cut the calculation of conventional non-Hermitian topological invariants. In particular, we express the three-dimensional winding number of point-gapped non-Hermitian systems, which is defined as an integral over the whole Brillouin zone, in terms of symmetry eigenvalues at high-symmetry momenta. Furthermore, for time-reversal symmetric non-Hermitian topological insulators, we find that symmetry indicators characterize the ass…
A modified periodic boundary condition adequate for non-hermitian topological systems is proposed. Under this boundary condition a topological number characterizing the system is defined in the same way as in the corresponding hermitian system and hence, at the cost of introducing an additional parameter that characterizes the non-hermitian skin effect, the idea of bulk-edge correspondence in the hermitian limit can be applied almost as it is. We develop this framework through the analysis of a non-hermitian SSH model with chiral symmetry, and prove the bulk-edge correspondence in a generalize…
Topological phases have recently witnessed a rapid progress in non-Hermitian systems. Here we study a one-dimensional non-Hermitian Aubry-André-Harper model with imaginary periodic or quasiperiodic modulations. We demonstrate that the non-Hermitian off-diagonal AAH models can host zero-energy modes at the edges. In contrast to the Hermitian case, the zero-energy mode can be localized only at one edge. Such a topological phase corresponds to the existence of a quarter winding number defined by eigenenergy in momentum space. We further find the coexistence of a zero-energy mode located only at o…
Quantum dots are one of the paradigmatic solid-state systems for quantum engineering, providing an outstanding tunability to explore fundamental quantum phenomena. Here we show that non-Hermitian many-body topological modes can be realized in a quantum dot chain by utilizing a gate-tunable modulation of dissipation, and they emerge purely because of the non-Hermiticity. By exactly solving the non-Hermitian interacting description both with exact diagonalization and tensor-networks, we demonstrate that these topological modes are robust even in the presence strong interactions, leading to a str…
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 …
We predict the existence of non-Hermitian topologically protected end states in a one-dimensional exciton-polariton condensate lattice, where topological transitions are driven by the laser pump pattern. We show that the number of end states can be described by a Chern number and a topological invariant based on the Wilson loop. We find that such transitions arise due to {\it enforced exceptional points} which can be predicted directly from the bulk Bloch wave functions. This allows us to establish a new type of bulk-boundary correspondence for non-Hermitian systems and to compute the phase di…
We introduce and study a novel class of sensors whose sensitivity grows exponentially with the size of the device. Remarkably, this drastic enhancement does not rely on any fine-tuning, but is found to be a stable phenomenon immune to local perturbations. Specifically, the physical mechanism behind this striking phenomenon is intimately connected to the anomalous sensitivity to boundary conditions observed in non-Hermitian topological systems. We outline concrete platforms for the practical implementation of these non-Hermitian topological sensors (NTOS) ranging from classical meta-materials t…
Breaking Hermiticity in topological systems gives rise to intriguing phenomena, such as the exceptional topology and the non-Hermitian skin effect. In this work, we study a non-Hermitian topological crystalline insulator sitting on the Kekulé-modulated honeycomb lattice with balanced gain and loss. We find that the gaplessness of the topological edge states in the non-Hermitian system is insensitive to edge geometries under moderate strength of gain and loss, unlike the cases of Hermitian topological crystalline insulators that depend on edge geometries crucially. We focus on two types of gain…
It was known that for non-Hermitian topological systems due to the non-Hermitian skin effect, the bulk-edge correspondence is broken down. In this paper, by using one-dimensional Su-SchriefferHeeger model and two-dimensional (deformed) Qi-Wu-Zhang model as examples, we focus on a special type of non-Hermitian topological system without non-Hermitian skin effect-topological systems under non-Hermitian similarity transformation. In these non-Hermitian systems, the defective edge states and the breakdown of bulk-edge correspondence are discovered. To characterize the topological properties, we in…
Exceptional points are universal level degeneracies induced by non-Hermiticity. Whereas past decades witnessed their new physics, the unified understanding has yet to be obtained. Here we present the complete classification of generic topologically stable exceptional points according to two types of complex-energy gaps and fundamental symmetries of charge conjugation, parity, and time reversal. This classification reveals unique non-Hermitian gapless structures with no Hermitian analogs and systematically predicts unknown non-Hermitian semimetals and nodal superconductors; a topological dumbbe…
Higher-order topology realizes topologically robust corner modes as a manifestation of nontriviality. We theoretically propose non-Hermitian skin effects which stem from second-order topology of chiral-symmetric Hermitian systems. It is found that the skin modes are localized at the corners. We demonstrate two types of second-order topological skin effects by two-dimensional intrinsic and extrinsic second-order topology. The intrinsic second-order topological skin effect is characterized topologically by bulk inversion symmetry as well as chiral symmetry. Meanwhile, the extrinsic second-order …
Non-Hermitian topological phases have gained widespread interest due to their unconventional properties, which have no Hermitian counterparts. In this work, we propose to use machine learning to identify and predict non-Hermitian topological phases, based on their winding number. We consider two examples -- non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model and its generalized version in one dimension and non-Hermitian nodal line semimetal in three dimensions -- to demonstrate the use of neural networks to accurately characterize the topological phases. We show that for the one dimensional model, a full…
Recent studies of disorder or non-Hermiticity induced topological insulators inject new ingredients for engineering topological matter. Here we consider the effect of purely non-Hermitian disorders, a combination of these two ingredients, in a 1D coupled-cavity array with disordered gain and loss. Topological photonic states can be induced by increasing gain-loss disorder strength with topological invariants carried by localized states in the complex bulk spectra. The system showcases rich phase diagrams and distinct topological states from Hermitian disorders. The non-Hermitian critical behav…
Recent experimental advances in Floquet engineering and controlling dissipation in open systems have brought about unprecedented flexibility in tailoring novel phenomena without any static and Hermitian analogues. It can be epitomized by the various Floquet and non-Hermitian topological phases. Topological classifications of either static/Floquet Hermitian or static non-Hermitian systems based on the underlying symmetries have been well established in the past several years. However, a coherent understanding and classification of Floquet non-Hermitian (FNH) topological phases have not been ach…
Non-Hermitian topological phases bear a number of exotic properties, such as the non-Hermitian skin effect and the breakdown of conventional bulk-boundary correspondence. In this paper, we introduce an unsupervised machine learning approach to classify non-Hermitian topological phases based on diffusion maps, which are widely used in manifold learning. We find that the non-Hermitian skin effect will pose a notable obstacle, rendering the straightforward extension of unsupervised learning approaches to topological phases for Hermitian systems ineffective in clustering non-Hermitian topological …
A $d$-dimensional second-order topological insulator (SOTI) can host topologically protected $(d - 2)$-dimensional gapless boundary modes. Here we show that a 2D non-Hermitian SOTI can host zero-energy modes at its corners. In contrast to the Hermitian case, these zero-energy modes can be localized only at one corner. A 3D non-Hermitian SOTI is shown to support second-order boundary modes, which are localized not along hinges but anomalously at a corner. The usual bulk-corner (hinge) correspondence in the second-order 2D (3D) non-Hermitian system breaks down. The winding number (Chern number) …
