In this paper, we present in-depth transfer matrix analyses of the Anderson transition in three non-Hermitian (NH) systems, NH Anderson, U(1) and Peierls models, that belong to NH class AI$^{\dagger}$ or NH class A. We first argue a general validity of the transfer matrix analysis, and clarify the symmetry properties of the Lyapunov exponents, scattering ($S$) matrix and two-terminal conductance in these NH models. The unitarity of the $S$ matrix is violated in NH systems, where the two-terminal conductance can take arbitrarily large values. Nonetheless, we show that the transposition symmetry of a Hamiltonian leads to the symmetric nature of the $S$ matrix as well as the reciprocal symmetries of the Lyapunov exponents and conductance in certain ways in these NH models. Finite size scaling data are fitted by polynomial functions, from which we determine the critical exponent $ν$ at different single-particle energies and system parameters of the NH models. We conclude that the critical exponents of the NH class AI$^{\dagger}$ and the NH class A are $ν=1.19 \pm 0.01$ and $ν=1.00 \pm 0.04$, respectively. In the NH models, a distribution of the two-terminal conductance is not Gaussian. Instead, it contains small fractions of huge conductance values, which come from rare-event states with huge transmissions amplified by on-site NH disorders. Nonetheless, a geometric mean of the conductance enables the finite-size scaling analysis. We show that the critical exponents obtained from the conductance analysis are consistent with those from the localization length in these three NH models.
Non-Hermitian systems can exhibit unique topological and localization properties. Here we elucidate the non-Hermitian effects on disordered topological systems by studying a non-Hermitian disordered Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model with nonreciprocal hoppings. We show that the non-Hermiticity can enhance the topological phase against disorders by increasing energy gaps. Moreover, we uncover a topological phase which emerges only under both moderate non-Hermiticity and disorders, and is characterized by localized insulating bulk states with a disorder-averaged winding number and zero-energy edge mode…
Disorder and non-Hermiticity dramatically impact the topological and localization properties of a quantum system, giving rise to intriguing quantum states of matter. The rich interplay of disorder, non-Hermiticity, and topology is epitomized by the recently proposed non-Hermitian topological Anderson insulator that hosts a plethora of exotic phenomena. Here we experimentally simulate the non-Hermitian topological Anderson insulator using disordered photonic quantum walks, and characterize its localization and topological properties. In particular, we focus on the competition between Anderson l…
Non-Hermiticity enriches the 10-fold Altland-Zirnbauer symmetry class into the 38-fold symmetry class, where critical behavior of the Anderson transitions (ATs) has been extensively studied recently. Here, we propose a correspondence of the universality classes of the ATs between Hermitian and non-Hermitian systems. We illustrate that the critical exponents of the length scale in non-Hermitian systems coincide with the critical exponents in the corresponding Hermitian systems with additional chiral symmetry. A remarkable consequence of the correspondence is superuniversality, i.e., the ATs in …
Spectral singularities are predicted to occur in a non-Hermitian extension of the Friedrichs-Fano-Anderson model describing the decay of a discrete state $|a >$ coupled to a continuum of modes. A physical realization of the model, based on electronic or photonic transport in a semi-infinite tight-binding lattice with an imaginary impurity site at the lattice boundary, is proposed. The occurrence of the spectral singularities is shown to correspond either to a diverging reflection probability (for an amplifying impurity) or to a vanishing reflection probability (for an absorbing impurity) from …
We investigate the topology and localization of one-dimensional Hermitian and non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chains with quasiperiodic hopping modulations. In the Hermitian case, phase diagrams are obtained by numerically and analytically calculating various topological and localization characters. We show the presence of topological extended, intermediate, and localized phases due to the coexistence of independent topological and localization phase transitions driven by the quasiperiodic disorder. Unlike the gapless and localized TAI phase in one-dimensional random disordered systems, we …
In a closed single-particle quantum system, spatial disorder induces Anderson localization of eigenstates and halts wave propagation. The phenomenon is vulnerable to interaction with environment and decoherence, that is believed to restore normal diffusion. We demonstrate that for a class of experimentally feasible non-Hermitian dissipators, which admit signatures of localization in asymptotic states, quantum particle opts between diffusive and ballistic regimes, depending on the phase parameter of dissipators, with sticking about localization centers. In diffusive regime, statistics of quantu…
The interplay among topology, disorder, and non-Hermiticity can induce some exotic topological and localization phenomena. Here we investigate this interplay in a two-dimensional non-Hermitian disordered Chern-insulator model with two typical kinds of non-Hermiticities, the nonreciprocal hopping and on-site gain-and-loss effects. The topological phase diagrams are obtained by numerically calculating two topological invariants in the real space, which are the disorder-averaged open-bulk Chern number and the generalized Bott index, respectively. We reveal that the nonreciprocal hopping (the gain…
Using a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian approach to open systems, we study the interplay of disorder and superradiance in a one- and three-dimensional Anderson model. Analyzing the complex eigenvalues of the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, a transition to a superradiant regime is shown to occur. As an effect of openness the structure of eigenstates undergoes a strong change in the superradiant regime: we show that the sensitivity to disorder of the superradiant and the subradiant subspaces is very different; superradiant states remain delocalized as disorder increases, while subradiant states are sensiti…
The non-interacting and non-Hermitian, parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$)-symmetric Anderson model exhibits an exceptional point (EP) at a non-Hermitian coupling $g=1$, which remains unrenormalized in the presence of interactions (Lourenco et al, arXiv:1806.03116), where the EP was shown to coincide with the quantum critical point (QCP) for Kondo destruction. In this work, we consider a quantum dot hybridizing with metallic leads having Rashba spin-orbit coupling ($λ$). We show that for a non-Hermitian hybridization, $λ$ can renormalize the exceptional point even in the non-interacting case, stabili…
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-André 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 nu…
Using a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian approach to open systems, we study the interplay of disorder and superradiance in a one-dimensional Anderson model. Analyzing the complex eigenvalues of the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, a transition to a superradiant regime is shown to occur. As an effect of openness the structure of eigenstates undergoes a strong change in the superradiant regime: we show that the sensitivity to disorder of the superradiant and the subradiant subspaces is very different; superradiant states remain delocalized as disorder increases, while subradiant states are sensitive to the d…
We study a generalized Aubry-Andre model that obeys $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry. We observe a robust $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric phase with respect to system size and disorder strength, where all eigenvalues are real despite the Hamiltonian being non-hermitian. This robust $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric phase can support an Anderson localization transition, giving a rich phase diagram as a result of the interplay between disorder and $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry. Our model provides a perfect platform to study disorder-driven localization phenomena in a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric system.
Exact mobility rings in non-Hermitian quasiperiodically decorated Lieb lattices
College of Mathematics and Physics, Chengdu University of Technology（成都理工大学数学与物理学院）；School of Physics, Hangzhou Normal University（杭州师范大学物理学院）；School of Physics, Nankai University（南开大学物理学院）
We present a quantum inspired image augmentation protocol which is applicable to classical images and, in principle, due to its known quantum formulation applicable to quantum systems and quantum machine learning in the future. The augmentation technique relies on the phenomenon Anderson localization. As we will illustrate by numerical examples the technique changes classical wave properties by interference effects resulting from scatterings at impurities in the material. We explain that the augmentation can be understood as multiplicative noise, which counter-intuitively averages out, by samp…
Anderson localisation is an important phenomenon arising in many areas of physics, and here we explore it in the context of quantum information devices. Finite dimensional spin chains have been demonstrated to be important devices for quantum information transport, and in particular can be engineered to allow for "perfect state transfer" (PST). Here we present extensive investigations of disordered PST spin chains, demonstrating spatial localisation and transport retardation effects, and relate these effects to conventional Anderson localisation. We provide thresholds for Anderson localisation…
The non-Hermiticity caused breakdown of the bulk-boundary correspondence (BBC) in topological phase transition was cured by the skin effect for the systems with chiral symmetry and translation invariance. However, periodic driving, as an active tool in engineering exotic topological phases, breaks the chiral symmetry, and the inevitable disorder destroys the translation invariance. Here, we propose a scheme to retrieve the BBC and establish a complete description of the topological phases of the periodically driven non-Hermitian system both with and without the translation invariance. The demo…
Unlike their Hermitian counterparts, non-Hermitian (NH) systems may display an exponential sensitivity to boundary conditions and an extensive number of edge-localized states in systems with open boundaries, a phenomena dubbed the "non-Hermitian skin effect." The NH skin effect is one of the primary challenges to defining a topological theory of NH Hamiltonians, as the sensitivity to boundary conditions invalidates the traditional bulk-boundary correspondence. The NH skin effect has recently been connected to the winding number, a topological invariant unique to NH systems. In this paper, we e…
Non-Hermiticity can destroy Anderson localization and lead to delocalization even in one dimension. However, the unified understanding of the non-Hermitian delocalization has yet to be established. Here, we develop a scaling theory of localization in non-Hermitian systems. We reveal that non-Hermiticity introduces a new scale and breaks down the one-parameter scaling, which is the central assumption of the conventional scaling theory of localization. Instead, we identify the origin of the unconventional non-Hermitian delocalization as the two-parameter scaling. Furthermore, we establish the th…
We suggest a simple method to engineer a tight-binding quantum network based on proper coupling to an auxiliary non-Hermitian cluster. In particular, it is shown that effective complex non-Hermitian hopping rates can be realized with only complex on-site energies in the network. Three applications of the Hamiltonian engineering method are presented: the synthesis of a nearly transparent defect in an Hermitian linear lattice; the realization of the Fano-Anderson model with complex coupling; and the synthesis of a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric tight-binding lattice with a bound state in the continuum…
Light transport in a disordered ensemble of resonant atoms placed in a waveguide is found to be very sensitive to the sizes of cross section of a waveguide. Based on self-consistent quantum microscopic model treating atoms as coherent radiating dipoles, we have shown that the nature of radiation transfer changes from Anderson localization regime in a single-mode waveguide to a traditional diffuse transfer in a multi-mode one. Moreover, the transmittance magnitude undergoes complex step-like dependence on the transverse sizes of a waveguide.
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）
Delocalization transition is numerically found in a non-Hermitian extension of a discrete-time quantum walk on a one-dimensional random medium. At the transition, an eigenvector gets delocalized and at the same time the corresponding energy eigenvalue (the imaginary unit times the phase of the eigenvalue of the time-evolution operator) becomes complex. This is in accordance with a non-Hermitian extension of the random Anderson model in one dimension, called, the Hatano-Nelson model. We thereby numerically find that all eigenstates of the Hermitian quantum walk share a common localization lengt…
We systematically study the parity- and time-reversal (PT) symmetric non-Hermitian version of a quantum network proposed in the paper of Christandl et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 187902 (2004)]. The nature of this model shows that it is a paradigm to demonstrate the complex relationship between the pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian and its Hermitian counterpart as well as a candidate in the experimental realization to simulate PT-symmetry breaking. We also show that this model allows a conditional perfect state transfer within the unbroken PT-symmetry region but not an arbitrary one. This is due to t…
It is still a challenge to experimentally realize shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA) for a non-Hermitian quantum system since a non-Hermitian quantum system's counterdiabatic driving Hamiltonian contains some unrealizable auxiliary control fields. In this paper, we relax the strict condition in constructing STA and propose a method to redesign a realizable supplementary Hamiltonian to construct non-Hermitian STA. The redesigned supplementary Hamiltonian can be eithersymmetric or asymmetric. For the sake of clearness, we apply this method to an Allen-Eberly model as an example to verify the validi…
Kondo breakdown induced by non-Hermitian complex hybridization
Research Institute for Innovation and Co-Creation, Osaka Metropolitan University（大阪公立大学创新与共创研究所）；Department of Physics, Osaka Metropolitan University（大阪公立大学物理系）；Nambu Yoichiro Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (NITEP), Osaka Metropolitan University（大阪公立大学南部阳一郎理论实验物理研究所）；Department of Physics, Institute of Science Tokyo（东京科学大学物理系）；Department of Physics, University of Tokyo（东京大学物理系）；Fundamental Quantum Science Program, TRIP Headquarters, RIKEN（理化学研究所TRIP总部基础量子科学项目）；Department of Physics, Ritsumeikan University（立命馆大学物理系）；Department of Materials Engineering Science, University of Osaka（大阪大学材料工程科学系）
Non-Hermitian extensions of the Anderson and Aubry-André-Harper models are attracting a considerable interest as platforms to study localization phenomena, metal-insulator and topological phase transitions in disordered non-Hermitian systems. Most of available studies, however, resort to numerical results, while few analytical and rigorous results are available owing to the extraordinary complexity of the underlying problem. Here we consider a parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetric extension of the Aubry-André-Harper model, undergoing a topological metal-insulator phase transition, and provide…
The combination of non-Hermitian physics and strong correlations can give rise to new effects in open quantum many-body systems with balanced gain and loss. We propose a generalized Anderson impurity model that includes non-Hermitian hopping terms between an embedded quantum dot and two wires. These non-Hermitian hopping terms respect a parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetry. In the regime of a singly occupied localized state, we map the problem to a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric Kondo model and study the effects of the interactions using a perturbative renormalization group approach. We find that t…
The interaction of a discrete state coupled to a continuum is a longstanding problem of major interest in different areas of quantum and classical physics. In Hermitian models, several dynamical decoupling schemes have been suggested, in which the discrete-continuum interaction can be substantially reduced and even suppressed. In this work we consider a discrete state interacting with a continuum via a time-dependent {\em non-Hermitian} coupling with finite (albeit arbitrarily long) duration, and show rather generally that for a wide class of coupling temporal shapes, in which the real and ima…
Symmetries associated with complex conjugation and Hermitian conjugation, such as time-reversal symmetry and pseudo-Hermiticity, have great impact on eigenvalue spectra of non-Hermitian random matrices. Here, we show that time-reversal symmetry and pseudo-Hermiticity lead to universal level statistics of non-Hermitian random matrices on and around the real axis. From the extensive numerical calculations of large random matrices, we obtain the five universal level-spacing and level-spacing-ratio distributions of real eigenvalues, each of which is unique to the symmetry class. Furthermore, we an…
Transport of quantum or classical waves in open systems is known to be strongly affected by non-Hermitian terms that arise from an effective description of system-enviroment interaction. A simple and paradigmatic example of non-Hermitian transport, originally introduced by Hatano and Nelson two decades ago [N. Hatano and D.R. Nelson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 570 (1996)], is the hopping dynamics of a quantum particle on a one-dimensional tight-binding lattice in the presence of an imaginary vectorial potential. The imaginary gauge field can prevent Anderson localization via non-Hermitian delocaliza…
Topological phases of Hermitian systems are known to exhibit intriguing properties such as the presence of robust boundary states and the famed bulk-boundary correspondence. These features can change drastically for their non-Hermitian generalizations, as exemplified by a general breakdown of bulk-boundary correspondence and a localization of all states at the boundary, termed the non-Hermitian skin effect. In this article, we present a completely analytical unifying framework for studying these systems using generalized transfer matrices -- a real-space approach suitable for systems with peri…
