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The union of topology and non-Hermiticity has led to the unveiling of many intriguing phenomena. We introduce a synthetic spin-engineered model belonging to symmetry class AI, which is a rare occurrence, and demonstrate the emergence of a multi-fold spectral topology. As an example of our proposal, we engineer non-Hermiticity in the paradigmatic Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) model by introducing a generalized synthetic spin, leading to an emergent two-fold spectral topology that governs the decoupled behaviour of the corresponding non-Hermitian skin effect. As a consequence of the spin choice, our model exhibits a rich phase diagram consisting of distinct topological phases, which we characterize by introducing the notion of paired winding numbers, which, in turn, predict the direction of skin localization under open boundaries. We demonstrate that the choice of spin parameters enables control over the directionality of the skin effect, allowing for it to be unilateral or bilateral. Furthermore, we discover non-dispersive flat bands emerging within the inherent SSH model framework, arising from the spin-engineering approach. We also introduce a simplified toy model to capture the underlying physics of the emergent flat bands and direction-selective skin effect. As an illustration of experimental feasibility, we present a topoelectric circuit that faithfully emulates the underlying spin-engineered Hamiltonian, providing a viable platform for realizing our predicted effects. Our findings pave way for the exploration of unconventional spectral topology through spin-designed models.

In recent years, non-Hermitian (NH) topological semimetals have garnered significant attention due to their unconventional properties. In this work, we explore one of the transport properties, namely the Hall conductance of a three-dimensional dissipative Weyl semi-metal formed as a result of the stacking of two-dimensional Chern insulators. We find that unlike Hermitian systems where the Hall conductance is quantized, in presence of non-Hermiticity, the quantized Hall conductance starts to deviate from its usual nature. We show that the non-quantized nature of the Hall conductance in such NH topological systems is intimately connected to the presence of exceptional points. We find that in the case of open boundary conditions, the transition from a topologically trivial regime to a non-trivial topological regime takes place at a different value of the momentum than that of the periodic boundary spectra. This discrepancy is solved by considering the non-Bloch case and the generalized Brillouin zone (GBZ). Finally, we present the Hall conductance evaluated over the GBZ and connect it to the separation between the Weyl nodes, within the non-Bloch theory.

The study of non-Hermitian degeneracies—called exceptional points (EPs)—has become an exciting frontier at the crossroads of optics, photonics, acoustics, and quantum physics. Here, we introduce the Newton polygon method as a general algebraic framework for characterizing and tuning EPs. Newton polygons, first described by Isaac Newton, are conventionally used in algebraic geometry, with deep roots in various topics in modern mathematics. We propose and illustrate how the Newton polygon method can enable the prediction of higher-order EPs, using a recently experimentally realized optical system. Using the paradigmatic Hatano-Nelson model, we demonstrate how our method can predict the presence of the non-Hermitian skin effect. As further application of our framework, we show the presence of tunable EPs of various orders in PT -symmetric one-dimensional models. We further extend our method to study EPs in higher number of variables and demonstrate that it can reveal rich anisotropic behaviour around such degeneracies. Our work provides an analytic recipe to understand exceptional physics.

We demonstrate single atom anisotropic magnetoresistance on the surface of a topological insulator, arising from the interplay between the helical spin–momentum-locked surface electronic structure and the hybridization of the magnetic adatom states. Our first-principles quantum transport calculations based on density functional theory for Mn on Bi _2 Se _3 elucidate the underlying mechanism. We complement our findings with a two dimensional model valid for both single adatoms and magnetic clusters, which leads to a proposed device setup for experimental realization. Our results provide an explanation for the conflicting scattering experiments on magnetic adatoms on topological insulator surfaces, and reveal the real space spin texture around the magnetic impurity.