Non-Hermitian Chiral Skin Effect

The interplay between non-Hermitian effects and topological insulators has become a frontier of research in non-Hermitian physics. However, the existence of a non-Hermitian skin effect for topological-protected edge states remains controversial. In this paper, we discover an alternative form of the non-Hermitian skin effect called the non-Hermitian chiral skin effect (NHCSE). NHCSE is a non-Hermitian skin effect under periodic boundary condition rather than open boundary condition. Specifically, the chiral modes of the NHCSE localize around \textquotedblleft topological defects\textquotedblright characterized by global dissipation rather than being confined to the system boundaries. We show its detailed physical properties by taking the non-Hermitian Haldane model as an example. As a result, the intrinsic mechanism of the hybrid skin-topological effect in Chern insulators is fully understood via NHCSE. Therefore, this progress will be helpful for solving the controversial topic of hybrid skin-topological effect and thus benefit the research on both non-Hermitian physics and topological quantum states

Nonlinear Bloch wave dynamics in photonic Aharonov–Bohm cages

We study the properties of nonlinear Bloch waves in a diamond chain waveguide lattice in the presence of a synthetic magnetic flux. In the linear limit, the lattice exhibits a completely flat (wavevector k-independent) band structure, resulting in perfect wave localization, known as Aharonov-Bohm caging. We find that in the presence of nonlinearity, the Bloch waves become sensitive to k, exhibiting bifurcations and instabilities. Performing numerical beam propagation simulations using the tight-binding model, we show how the instabilities can result in either the spontaneous or controlled formation of localized modes, which are immobile and remain pinned in place due to the synthetic magnetic flux. © 2021 Author(s

Properties of A Class of Topological Phase Transition

The properties of a class of topological quantum phase transition (TQPT) are analyzed based on a model proposed by Haldane. We study the effect of finite temperature on this phase transition. We have found that finite temperature would drive this TQPT to be a crossover, while it is stable against the weak short range interaction. When the interaction is strong enough, however, this TQPT is unstable and other states would emerge. Then we investigate the effect of the on-site energy in the original haldane model. The critical difference between our TQPT and the topological phase transition in conventional quantum Hall system is discussed. Finally, we discuss the potential application of our analysis to a topological phase transition proposed in a realistic system.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures. Accepted by Phys. Rev.

Periodic Instanton and Phase Transition in Quantum Tunneling of Spin Systems

The quantum-classical transitions of the escape rates in a uniaxial spin model relevant to the molecular magnet Mn$_{12}$Ac and a biaxial anisotropic ferromagnetic particle are investigated by applying the periodic instanton method. The effective free energies are expanded around the top of the potential barrier in analogy to Landau theory of phase transitions. We show that the first-order transitions occur below the critical external magnetic field $h_x = 1/4$ for the uniaxial spin model and beyond the critical anisotropy constant ratio $\lambda = 1/2$ for the biaxial ferromagnetic grains, which are in good agreement with earlier works.Comment: 14 pages, revtex, 5 postscript figure

Nonlinear Bloch wave dynamics in photonic Aharonov–Bohm cages

Summarization: We study the properties of nonlinear Bloch waves in a diamond chain waveguide lattice in the presence of a synthetic magnetic flux. In the linear limit, the lattice exhibits a completely flat (wavevector k-independent) band structure, resulting in perfect wave localization, known as Aharonov–Bohm caging. We find that in the presence of nonlinearity, the Bloch waves become sensitive to k, exhibiting bifurcations and instabilities. Performing numerical beam propagation simulations using the tight-binding model, we show how the instabilities can result in either the spontaneous or controlled formation of localized modes, which are immobile and remain pinned in place due to the synthetic magnetic flux.Presented on: APL Photonic