Switching of post quench reflection asymmetry in an embedded non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger system

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a quench in a non-Hermitian SSH system causes asymmetric transport that switches direction depending on system parameters, revealing complex state reorganization effects.

Contribution

It introduces a model embedding non-Hermitian components in an SSH lattice and uncovers the switching behavior of reflection asymmetry post-quench.

Findings

Transport asymmetry switches from right to left reflection.

Switching depends on system configuration and symmetries.

Reorganization of bulk states underlies the reflection switch.

Abstract

A quench in a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger lattice across the topological boundary initialized with an edge state leads to transport across the chain. We consider such a quench in an effective model in which non-Hermitian components are embedded in an SSH lattice. We find that the transport arising as a result of quench is asymmetric in the sense that there is imbalance in reflection in transport from left and right and this imbalance switches from higher right reflection to higher left reflection as the configuration to which the system is quenched varies in parameter space. We discuss the switching as emergence from the underlying phenomenon of a partial reorganization of bulk states in terms of localization and energy, the intricacies of which depends upon the configuration of the system and the symmetries present.