Model non-Hermitian topological operators without skin effect: A general principle of construction

TL;DR

This paper introduces a universal method to construct non-Hermitian topological operators that lack skin effects, maintaining real eigenvalues and zero-energy boundary modes across various dimensions and systems.

Contribution

It presents a general principle for creating non-Hermitian topological phases without skin effects, extending bulk-boundary correspondence to these systems.

Findings

Real eigenvalues and zero-energy boundary modes in NH topological phases.

Absence of skin effects confirmed by inverse participation ratio scaling.

Applicability demonstrated in 1D, 2D, 3D, and higher-order systems, including semimetals.

Abstract

We propose a general principle of constructing non-Hermitian (NH) operators for insulating and gapless topological phases in any dimension ($d$) that over an extended NH parameter regime feature real eigenvalues and zero-energy topological boundary modes, when in particular their Hermitian counterparts are also topological. However, the topological zero modes disappear when the NH operators simultaneously accommodate real and imaginary (in periodic systems) or display complex (in systems with open boundary conditions) eigenvalues. These systems are always devoid of NH skin effects, as has also been confirmed from the scaling of the inverse participation ratio, thereby extending the realm of the bulk-boundary correspondence to NH systems in terms of solely the left or right zero-energy boundary localized eigenmodes. We showcase these general and robust outcomes for NH topological insulators in $d=1,2$ and $3$, encompassing their higher-order incarnations, as well as for NH topological Dirac, Weyl, and nodal-loop semimetals. Possible realizations of proposed NH topological phases in designer materials, optical lattices, and classical metamaterials are highlighted.