Non-Hermitian Topological Magnonics

TL;DR

This review explores how engineering dissipation in magnetic materials enables non-Hermitian topological phases in magnonic systems, leading to novel functionalities like enhanced sensing and microwave absorption.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of theoretical and experimental advances in non-Hermitian topological magnonics, highlighting unified Hamiltonian construction and recent phase discoveries.

Findings

Identification of non-Hermitian topological phases in magnonic systems

Experimental realization of exceptional points and skin effects in magnonics

Potential applications in sensing and microwave absorption

Abstract

Dissipation in mechanics, optics, acoustics, and electronic circuits is nowadays recognized to be not always detrimental but can be exploited to achieve non-Hermitian topological phases or properties with functionalities for potential device applications. As elementary excitations of ordered magnetic moments that exist in various magnetic materials, magnons are the information carriers in magnonic devices with low-energy consumption for reprogrammable logic, non-reciprocal communication, and non-volatile memory functionalities. Non-Hermitian topological magnonics deals with the engineering of dissipation and/or gain for non-Hermitian topological phases or properties in magnets that are not achievable in the conventional Hermitian scenario, with associated functionalities cross-fertilized with their electronic, acoustic, optic, and mechanic counterparts, such as giant enhancement of magnonic frequency combs, magnon amplification, (quantum) sensing of the magnetic field with unprecedented sensitivity, magnon accumulation, and perfect absorption of microwaves. In this review article, we address the unified approach in constructing magnonic non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, introduce the basic non-Hermitian topological physics, and provide a comprehensive overview of the recent theoretical and experimental progress towards achieving distinct non-Hermitian topological phases or properties in magnonic devices, including exceptional points, exceptional nodal phases, non-Hermitian magnonic SSH model, and non-Hermitian skin effect. We emphasize the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian approach based on the Lindbladian or self-energy of the magnonic subsystem but address the physics beyond it as well, such as the crucial quantum jump effect in the quantum regime and non-Markovian dynamics. We provide a perspective for future opportunities and challenges before concluding this article.