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Non-Hermiticity significantly enriches the properties of topological models, leading to exotic features such as the non-Hermitian skin effects and non-Bloch bulk-boundary correspondence that have no counterparts in Hermitian settings. Its impact is particularly illustrating in non-Hermitian quasicrystals where the interplay between non-Hermiticity and quasiperiodicity results in the concurrence of the delocalization-localization transition, the parity-time (PT)-symmetry breaking, and the onset of the non-Hermitian skin effects. Here we experimentally simulate non-Hermitian quasicrystals using photonic quantum walks. Using dynamic observables, we demonstrate that the system can transit from a delocalized, PT-symmetry broken phase that features non-Hermitian skin effects, to a localized, PT-symmetry unbroken phase with no non-Hermitian skin effects. The measured critical point is consistent with the theoretical prediction through a spectral winding number, confirming the topological origin of the phase transition. Our work opens the avenue of investigating the interplay of non-Hermiticity, quasiperiodicity, and spectral topology in open quantum systems., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. In the updated version, we add new experimental evidence for the presence of a mobility edge in quantum-walk dynamics

Polarization beam splitter (PBS) is a crucial photonic element to separately extract transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) polarizations from the propagating light fields. Here, we propose a concise, continuously tunable and all-optical partial PBS in the vector optomechanical system which contains two orthogonal polarized cavity modes with degenerate frequency. The results show that one can manipulate the polarization states of different output fields by tuning the polarization angle of the pumping field and the system function as partial PBS when the pump laser polarizes vertically or horizontally. As a significant application of the tunable PBS, we propose a scheme of implementing quantum walks in resonator arrays without the aid of other auxiliary systems. Furthermore, we investigate the optomechanically induced Faraday effect in the vector optomechanical system which enables arbitrary tailoring of the input lights and the behaviors of polarization angles of the output fields in the under couple, critical couple, and over couple regimes. Our findings prove the optomechanical system is a potential platform to manipulate the polarization states in multimode resonators and boost the process of applications related to polarization modulation., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures

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 localization induced by random disorder, and the non-Hermitian skin effect under which all eigenstates are squeezed toward the boundary. The two distinct localization mechanisms prompt a non-monotonous change in profile of the Lyapunov exponent, which we experimentally reveal through dynamic observables. We then probe the disorder-induced topological phase transitions, and demonstrate their biorthogonal criticality. Our experiment further advances the frontier of synthetic topology in open systems., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures

Non-Bloch topological invariants preserve the bulk-boundary correspondence in non-Hermitian topological systems, and are a key concept in the contemporary study of non-Hermitian topology. Here we report the dynamic detection of non-Bloch topological invariants in single-photon quantum walks, revealed through the biorthogonal chiral displacement, and crosschecked with the dynamic spin textures in the generalized quasimomentum-time domain following a quantum quench. Both detection schemes are robust against symmetry-preserving disorders, and yield consistent results with theoretical predictions. Our experiments are performed far away from any boundaries, and therefore underline non-Bloch topological invariants as intrinsic properties of the system that persist in the thermodynamic limit. Our work sheds new light on the experimental investigation of non-Hermitian topology., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures