Non-Hermitian waves in a continuous periodic model and application to photonic crystals

TL;DR

This paper investigates the non-Hermitian skin effect in continuous periodic systems, revealing boundary-independent localization and spectra, and extends the theory to photonic crystals using generalized Brillouin zones.

Contribution

It introduces a continuous model for non-Hermitian skin effects and develops a non-Bloch band theory applicable to such systems, including photonic crystals.

Findings

Localization lengths are equal for all eigenstates.

Eigen spectra are independent of boundary conditions.

Generalized Brillouin zone explains physical properties like bulk-edge correspondence.

Abstract

In some non-Hermitian systems, the eigenstates in the bulk are localized at the boundaries of the systems. This is called the non-Hermitian skin effect, and it has been studied mostly in discrete systems. In the present work, we study the non-Hermitian skin effect in a continuous periodic model. In a one-dimensional system, we show that the localization lengths are equal for all the eigenstates. Moreover, the localization length and the eigenspectra in a large system are independent of the types of open boundary conditions. These properties are also found in a non-Hermitian photonic crystal. Such remarkable behaviors in a continuous periodic model can be explained in terms of the non-Bloch band theory. By constructing the generalized Brillouin zone for a complex Bloch wave number, we derive the localization length and the eigenspectra under an open boundary condition. Furthermore we show that the generalized Brillouin zone also has various physical properties, such as bulk-edge correspondence.