Surpassing the individual characteristics of the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) and the scale-free (SF) effect observed recently, we systematically exploit the exponential decay behavior of bulk eigenstates via the transfer matrix approach in non-Hermitian systems. We concentrate on one-dimensional (1D) finite-size non-Hermitian systems with 2*2 transfer matrices in either the absence or presence of the boundary impurity. We analytically unveil that the unidirectional SF effect emerges with the singular transfer matrices, while the hybrid scale-free skin (SFS) effect appears with the nonsingular transfer matrices even when an open boundary condition (OBC) is imposed. The unidirectional SF effect exceeds the scope of the SF effect in previous works, while the hybrid SFS effect is an interesting interplay between the skin effect and the SF effect in finite-size systems. Our results reveal that the skin effect under the OBC prevails when it coexists with the SF effect as the system approaches the thermodynamic limit in the presence of the hybrid SFS effect. Our approach paves the way for rigorous and unified explorations of the skin and SF effects in both Hermitian and non-Hermitian systems with generic boundary conditions.
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 skin effect and critical skin effect are unique features of non-Hermitian systems. In this Letter, we study an open system with its dynamics of single-particle correlation function effectively dominated by a non-Hermitian damping matrix, which exhibits $\mathbb{Z}_2$ skin effect, and uncover the existence of a novel phenomenon of helical damping. When adding perturbations that break anomalous time reversal symmetry to the system, the critical skin effect occurs, which causes the disappearance of the helical damping in the thermodynamic limit although it can exist in small size sy…
Non-Hermitian systems show a non-Hermitian skin effect, where the bulk states are localized at a boundary of the systems with open boundary conditions. In this paper, we study dependence of the localization length of the eigenstates on a system size in a specific non-Hermitian model with a critical non-Hermitian skin effect, where the energy spectrum undergoes discontinuous transition in the thermodynamic limit. We analytically show that the eigenstates exhibit remarkable localization, known as scale-free localization, where the localization length is proportional to a system size. Our result …
We demonstrate that crystal defects can act as a probe of intrinsic non-Hermitian topology. In particular, in point-gapped systems with periodic boundary conditions, a pair of dislocations may induce a non-Hermitian skin effect, where an extensive number of Hamiltonian eigenstates localize at only one of the two dislocations. An example of such a phase are two-dimensional systems exhibiting weak non-Hermitian topology, which are adiabatically related to a decoupled stack of Hatano-Nelson chains. Moreover, we show that strong two-dimensional point-gap topology may also result in a dislocation r…
Skin effect, experimentally discovered in one dimension, describes the physical phenomenon that on an open chain, an extensive number of eigenstates of a non-Hermitian hamiltonian are localized at the end(s) of the chain. Here in two and higher dimensions, we establish a theorem that the skin effect exists, if and only if periodic-boundary spectrum of the hamiltonian covers a finite area on the complex plane. This theorem establishes the universality of the effect, because the above condition is satisfied in almost every generic non-Hermitian hamiltonian, and, unlike in one dimension, is compa…
We establish exact relations between the winding of "energy" (eigenvalue of Hamiltonian) on the complex plane as momentum traverses the Brillouin zone with periodic boundary condition, and the presence of "skin modes" with open boundary condition in non-hermitian systems. We show that the nonzero winding with respect to any complex reference energy leads to the presence of skin modes, and vice versa. We also show that both the nonzero winding and the presence of skin modes share the common physical origin that is the non-vanishing current through the system.
We investigate novel features of three dimensional non-Hermitian Weyl semimetals, paying special attention to its unconventional bulk-boundary correspondence. We use the non-Bloch Chern numbers as the tool to obtain the topological phase diagram, which is also confirmed by the energy spectra from our numerical results. It is shown that, in sharp contrast to Hermitian systems, the conventional (Bloch) bulk-boundary correspondence breaks down in non-Hermitian topological semimetals, which is caused by the non-Hermitian skin effect. We establish the non-Bloch bulk-boundary correspondence for non-…
We demonstrate that dislocations in two-dimensional non-Hermitian systems can give rise to density accumulation or depletion through the localization of an extensive number of states. These effects are shown by numerical simulations in a prototype lattice model and expose a different face of non-Hermitian skin effect, by disentangling it from the need for boundaries. We identify a topological invariant responsible for the dislocation skin effect, which takes the form of a ${\mathbb Z}_2$ Hopf index that depends on the Burgers vector characterizing the dislocations. Remarkably, we find that thi…
Constraints of internal symmetry on the non-Hermitian skin effect and bidirectional skin effect under the action of the Hermitian conjugate of time-reversal symmetry
Non-Hermitian skin effect and electronic nonlocal transport
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), CSIC（马德里材料科学研究所（ICMM），西班牙科学研究委员会）；Center for Quantum Devices, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen（哥本哈根大学尼尔斯·玻尔研究所量子设备中心）
Topological phases of matter are conventionally characterized by the bulk-boundary correspondence in Hermitian systems: The topological invariant of the bulk in $d$ dimensions corresponds to the number of $(d-1)$-dimensional boundary states. By extension, higher-order topological insulators reveal a bulk-edge-corner correspondence, such that $n$-th order topological phases feature $(d-n)$-dimensional boundary states. The advent of non-Hermitian topological systems sheds new light on the emergence of the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) with an extensive number of boundary modes under open boun…
Non-Hermitian skin effect, which refers to the phenomenon that an extensive number of eigenstates are localized at the boundary, has been widely studied in lattice models and experimentally observed in several classical systems. In this work, we predict that the existence of the non-Hermitian skin effect in the dissipative ultracold fermions with spin-orbit coupling, a continuous model that has been implemented by the Hong-Kong group in a recent experiment. This skin effect is robust against the variation of external parameters and trapping potentials. We further reveal a dynamic sticky effect…
The skin effect and topological edge states in non-Hermitian system have been well-studied, and the second-order skin effect and corner modes have also been proposed in non-Hermitian system recently. In this paper, we construct the nested tight-binding formalism to research the second-order corner modes analytically, which is a direct description of the generic non-Hermitian tight-binding model without other assumptions. Within this formalism, we obtain the exact solutions of second-order topological zero-energy corner modes for the non-Hermitian four-band model. We validate the nested tight-b…
We explore absorbing open-boundary modes in non-Hermitian photonic systems. The modes have a continuum spectrum in the infinite system-size limit and can exhibit the non-Hermitian skin effect. In contrast to the conventional non-Hermitian skin modes under the fixed-end open-boundary condition, the modes concerned exhibit a strongly size-dependent spectrum that gradually converges to the non-Bloch-band dispersion. The modes correspond to the poles of the $S$ matrix, and are closely related to the lasing. We demonstrate these properties in a two-dimensional non-Hermitian photonic crystal with ga…
We construct a two-dimensional, discrete-time quantum walk exhibiting non-Hermitian skin effects under open-boundary conditions. As a confirmation of the non-Hermitian bulk-boundary correspondence, we show that the emergence of topological edge states are consistent with Floquet winding numbers calculated using a non-Bloch band theory invoking time-dependent generalized Billouin zones. Further, the non-Bloch topological invariants associated with quasienergy bands are captured by a non-Hermitian local Chern marker in real space, defined through local biorthogonal eigen wave functions of the no…
Far from being limited to a trivial generalization of their Hermitian counterparts, non-Hermitian topological phases have gained widespread interest due to their unique properties. One of the most striking non-Hermitian phenomena is the skin effect, i.e., the localization of a macroscopic fraction of bulk eigenstates at a boundary, which underlies the breakdown of the bulk-edge correspondence. Here we investigate the emergence of the skin effect in magnetic insulating systems by developing a phenomenological approach to describing magnetic dissipation within a lattice model. Focusing on a spin…
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…
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 …
A hallmark of photonic transport in non-Hermitian lattices with asymmetric hopping is the robust unidirectional flow of light, which is responsible for important phenomena such as the non-Hermitian skin effect. Here we show that the same effect can be induced by stochastic fluctuations in lattices which maintain a symmetric hopping on average. We illustrate such a fluctuation-induced non-Hermitian transport by discussing stochastic funneling of light, in which light is pushed toward an interface by the stochastic-induced skin effect.
Non-Hermitian skin effect exhibits the collapse of the extended bulk modes into the extensive number of localized boundary states in open boundary conditions. Here we demonstrate the disorder-driven phase transition of the trivial non-Hermitian system to the higher-order non-Hermitian skin effect phase. In contrast to the clean systems, the disorder-induced boundary modes form an arc in the complex energy plane, which is the manifestation of the disorder-driven dynamical phase transition. At the phase transition, the localized corner modes and bulk modes characterized by trivial Hamiltonian co…
The non-Hermitian skin effect is a unique feature of non-Hermitian systems, in which an extensive number of boundary modes appear under the open boundary conditions. Here, we discover higher-order counterparts of the non-Hermitian skin effect that exhibit new boundary physics. In two-dimensional systems with the system size $L \times L$, while the conventional (first-order) skin effect accompanies $O\,( L^{2} )$ skin modes, the second-order skin effect accompanies $O\,( L )$ corner skin modes. This also contrasts with Hermitian second-order topological insulators, in which only $O\,( 1 )$ corn…
This work uncovers a new class of criticality where eigenenergies and eigenstates of non-Hermitian lattice systems jump discontinuously across a critical point in the thermodynamic limit, unlike established Hermitian and non-Hermitian critical scenarios where spectrum remains continuous across a transition. Such critical behavior, dubbed the "critical skin effect", is rather generic, occuring whenever subsystems with dissimilar non-Hermitian skin localization lengths are coupled, however weakly. Due to the existence of this criticality, the thermodynamic limit and the zero-coupling limit canno…
In this paper, we study the conditions under which on-site dissipations can induce non-Hermitian skin modes in non-Hermitian systems. When the original Hermitian Hamiltonian has spinless time-reversal symmetry, it is impossible to have skin modes; on the other hand, if the Hermitian Hamiltonian has spinful time-reversal symmetry, skin modes can be induced by on-site dissipations under certain circumstance. As a concrete example, we employ the Rice-Mele model to illustrate our results. Furthermore, we predict that the skin modes can be detected by the chiral tunneling effect, that is, the tunne…
A unique feature of non-Hermitian systems is the skin effect, which is the extreme sensitivity to the boundary conditions. Here, we reveal that the skin effect originates from intrinsic non-Hermitian topology. Such a topological origin not merely explains the universal feature of the known skin effect, but also leads to new types of the skin effects---symmetry-protected skin effects. In particular, we discover the $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ skin effect protected by time-reversal symmetry. On the basis of topological classification, we also discuss possible other skin effects in arbitrary dimensions. Our…
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…
Absolute negative mobility (ANM) in nonequilibrium systems depicts the possibility of particles propagating toward the opposite direction of an external force. We uncover in this work a phenomenon analogous to ANM regarding eigenstate localization and particle transport in non-Hermitian systems under the influence of the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE). A coherent coupling between two non-Hermitian chains individually possessing the same preferred direction of NHSE is shown to cause a direction reversal of NHSE for all eigenmodes. This concept is further investigated in terms of time evolutio…
We study nonreciprocal nonlinear Schrödinger systems. As a prototype we analyze the Hatano-Nelson model together with a typical nonlinear term introduced and its generalization to two dimensions. We employ the quench dynamics, where a pulse is given to one site and its time evolution is analyzed. It is found that the skin state is always formed due to the nonreciprocal hopping and hence that the system is topological. However, the structure of the skin state is essentially modified by the nonlinear interaction because it favors a self-trapping. Four typically different states emerge as an inte…
One of the unique features of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians is the non-Hermitian skin effect, namely that the eigenstates are exponentially localized at the boundary of the system. For open quantum systems, a short-time evolution can often be well described by the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, while long-time dynamics calls for the Lindblad master equations, in which the Liouvillian superoperators generate time evolution. In this Letter, we find that Liouvillian superoperators can exhibit the non-Hermitian skin effect, and uncover its unexpected physical consequences. It is shown that the…
In conventional Hermitian systems with the open boundary condition, Bloch's theorem is perturbatively broken down, which means although the crystal momentum is not a good quantum number, the eigenstates are the superposition of several extended Bloch waves. In this paper, we show that Bloch's theorem can be non-perturbatively broken down in some Hermitian Bosonic systems. The quasiparticles of the system are the superposition of localized non-Bloch waves, which are characterized by the complex momentum whose imaginary part determines the localization properties. Our work is a Hermitian general…
Robust boundary states epitomize how deep physics can give rise to concrete experimental signatures with technological promise. Of late, much attention has focused on two distinct mechanisms for boundary robustness - topological protection, as well as the non-Hermitian skin effect. In this work, we report the first experimental realizations of hybrid higher-order skin-topological effect, in which the skin effect selectively acts only on the topological boundary modes, not the bulk modes. Our experiments, which are performed on specially designed non-reciprocal 2D and 3D topolectrical circuit l…
Non-Hermiticity greatly expands existing physical laws beyond the Hermitian framework, revealing various novel phenomena with unique properties. Up to now, most exotic nonHermitian effects, such as exceptional points and non-Hermitian skin effects, are discovered in single-particle systems. The interplay between non-Hermitian and manybody correlation is expected to be a more fascinating but much less explored area. Due to the complexity of the problem, current researches in this field mainly stay at the theoretical level. The experimental observation of predicted non-Hermitian manybody phases …
