Search

Abstract Exceptional points in non-Hermitian systems have attracted considerable attention due to their novel applications in several fields such as optics, electronics, and mechanics. Typically, exceptional points are constructed through gain and loss modulation or dissipative coupling within the framework of parity-time symmetry or anti-parity-time symmetry. Recent demonstration of unidirectional coupling in optical resonators to create exceptional points has offered an alternative approach. This study extends this concept to electronic circuits, examining exceptional points that emerge in unidirectionally coupled LC circuits. We show that this circuit undergoes resonance frequency splitting that exhibits either linear or square-root scaling with the strength of the applied perturbation. We further explore the circuit’s scattering properties when connected to an input-output channel and demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally the splitting of transmission dips or peaks when a perturbation is applied—highlighting the potential for building sensors with enhanced sensitivity. This work not only deepens the understanding of exceptional points in electronic circuits but also encourages the exploration and application of non-Hermiticity in electronics.

Abstract Quantum heat engines and refrigerators are open quantum systems, whose dynamics can be well understood using a non-Hermitian formalism. A prominent feature of non-Hermiticity is the existence of exceptional points (EPs), which has no counterpart in closed quantum systems. It has been shown in classical systems that dynamical encirclement in the vicinity of an EP, whether the loop includes the EP or not, could lead to chiral mode conversion. Here, we show that this is valid also for quantum systems when dynamical encircling is performed in the vicinity of their Liouvillian EPs (LEPs), which include the effects of quantum jumps and associated noise—an important quantum feature not present in previous works. We demonstrate, using a Paul-trapped ultracold ion, the first chiral quantum heating and refrigeration by dynamically encircling a closed loop in the vicinity of an LEP. We witness the cycling direction to be associated with the chirality and heat release (absorption) of the quantum heat engine (quantum refrigerator). Our experiments have revealed that not only the adiabaticity breakdown but also the Landau–Zener–Stückelberg process play an essential role during dynamic encircling, resulting in chiral thermodynamic cycles. Our observations contribute to further understanding of chiral and topological features in non-Hermitian systems and pave a way to exploring the relation between chirality and quantum thermodynamics.

Abstract Nontrivial spectral properties of non-Hermitian systems can lead to intriguing effects with no counterparts in Hermitian systems. For instance, in a two-mode photonic system, by dynamically winding around an exceptional point (EP) a controlled asymmetric-symmetric mode switching can be realized. That is, the system can either end up in one of its eigenstates, regardless of the initial eigenmode, or it can switch between the two states on demand, by simply controlling the winding direction. However, for multimode systems with higher-order EPs or multiple low-order EPs, the situation can be more involved, and the ability to control asymmetric-symmetric mode switching can be impeded, due to the breakdown of adiabaticity. Here we demonstrate that this difficulty can be overcome by winding around exceptional curves by additionally crossing diabolic points. We consider a four-mode $${{{{{{{\mathcal{PT}}}}}}}}$$ PT -symmetric bosonic system as a platform for experimental realization of such a multimode switch. Our work provides alternative routes for light manipulations in non-Hermitian photonic setups.

Finite simplex lattice models are used in different branches of science, e.g., in condensed-matter physics, when studying frustrated magnetic systems and non-Hermitian localization phenomena; or in chemistry, when describing experiments with mixtures. An n-simplex represents the simplest possible polytope in n dimensions, e.g., a line segment, a triangle, and a tetrahedron in one, two, and three dimensions, respectively. In this work, we show that various fully solvable, in general non-Hermitian, n-simplex lattice models with open boundaries can be constructed from the high-order field-moments space of quadratic bosonic systems. Namely, we demonstrate that such n-simplex lattices can be formed by a dimensional reduction of highly degenerate iterated polytope chains in (k>n)-dimensions, which naturally emerge in the field-moments space. Our findings indicate that the field-moments space of bosonic systems provides a versatile platform for simulating real-space n-simplex lattices exhibiting non-Hermitian phenomena, and it yields valuable insights into the structure of many-body systems exhibiting similar complexity. Among a variety of practical applications, these simplex structures can offer a physical setting for implementing the discrete fractional Fourier transform, an indispensable tool for both quantum and classical signal processing.

Abstract Exceptional points (EPs) have been extensively explored in mechanical, acoustic, plasmonic, and photonic systems. However, little is known about the role of EPs in tailoring the dynamic tunability of optical devices. A specific type of EPs known as chiral EPs has recently attracted much attention for controlling the flow of light and for building sensors with better responsivity. A recently demonstrated route to chiral EPs via lithographically defined symmetric Mie scatterers on the rim of resonators has not only provided the much-needed mechanical stability for studying chiral EPs, but also helped reduce losses originating from nanofabrication imperfections, facilitating the in-situ study of chiral EPs and their contribution to the dynamics and tunability of resonators. Here, we use asymmetric Mie scatterers to break the rotational symmetry of a microresonator, to demonstrate deterministic thermal tuning across a chiral EP, and to demonstrate EP-mediated chiral optical nonlinear response and efficient electro-optic tuning. Our results indicate asymmetric electro-optic modulation with up to 17 dB contrast at GHz and CMOS-compatible voltage levels. Such wafer-scale nano-manufacturing of chiral electro-optic modulators and the chiral EP-tailored tunning may facilitate new micro-resonator functionalities in quantum information processing, electromagnetic wave control, and optical interconnects.

Traditional methods for cell stiffness measurements are limited by long processing times and unsuitability for multiple cell analysis. Here, the authors demonstrate a fast technique based on acoustic stimulation and holographic imaging to reconstruct whole-cell stiffness maps of individual and multiple cells.

We have recently demonstrated that higher-order exceptional points can be engineered in PT symmetric networks by means of recursive bosonic algebra. In these systems, as well as in simple PT dimers with second-order exceptional points, transitions between the broken and unbroken phases take place along specific trajectories in the parameter space. Here we show that the behaviour along some of these trajectories can be reversed through the inclusion of strongly coupled passive dimers that act as two-mode adiabatic bridges connecting different parts of the network. We illustrate our results by first discussing the case of a simple PT dimer before we demonstrate how the same technique can be employed in configurations that exhibit third- and fourth-order exceptional points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hamiltonian exceptional points (HEPs) are spectral degeneracies of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians describing classical and semiclassical open systems with losses and/or gain. However, this definition overlooks the occurrence of quantum jumps in the evolution of open quantum systems. These quantum effects are properly accounted for by considering quantum Liouvillians and their exceptional points (LEPs). Specifically, an LEP corresponds to the coalescence of two or more eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenmatrices of a given Liouvillian at critical values of external parameters (Minganti et al 2019 Phys. Rev. A 100 062131). Here, we explicitly describe how standard quantum process tomography, which reveals the dynamics of a quantum system, can be readily applied to detect and characterize quantum LEPs of quantum non-Hermitian systems. We conducted experiments on an IBM quantum processor to implement a prototype model with one-, two-, and three qubits simulating the decay of a single qubit through competing channels, resulting in LEPs but not HEPs. Subsequently, we performed tomographic reconstruction of the corresponding experimental Liouvillian and its LEPs using both single- and two-qubit operations. This example underscores the efficacy of process tomography in tuning and observing LEPs even in the absence of HEPs.