We investigate the localization behavior of two-particle Hubbard model in the presence of non-reciprocal tunneling and non-Hermitian bound states can be obtained with strong repulsive interaction. Remarkably, the interaction induced bound state localization (BSL) can compete with non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) and give rise to diverse density profiles. Via the quantum scattering methods in the center of mass frame, the system can be mapped to an effective two dimensional (2D) lattice with the two-particle interaction contributing to a defective line. For the bound states of the largest eigen-energy, in contrast to the Hermitian cases, where the maximal localization center is pinned around the center of lattice, NHSE can lead to a faded diagonal line localization. For the unbound scattering states, unlike the single corner localization in the 2D Hatano-Nelson model, interaction can force the total localization to split into multiple centers. To make the system topological nontrivial, we further include terms taking the form of two-photon tunneling and the non-Hermitian photon bound pairs are also observed, which demonstrates a competition among NHSE, BSL and edge localization. Finally, we propose the experimental simulations via the platforms of electrical circuits. Our works shed light on the crossover study of quantum optics and non-Hermitian many body physics.
We investigate the localization behavior of two-particle Hubbard model in the presence of non-reciprocal tunneling and non-Hermitian bound states can be obtained with strong repulsive interaction. Remarkably, the interaction induced bound state localization (BSL) can compete with non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) and give rise to diverse density profiles. Via the quantum scattering methods in the center of mass frame, the system can be mapped to an effective two dimensional (2D) lattice with the two-particle interaction contributing to a defective line. For the bound states of the largest eigen-energy, in contrast to the Hermitian cases, where the maximal localization center is pinned around the center of lattice, NHSE can lead to a faded diagonal line localization. For the unbound scattering states, unlike the single corner localization in the 2D Hatano-Nelson model, interaction can force the total localization to split into multiple centers. To make the system topological nontrivial, we further include terms taking the form of two-photon tunneling and the non-Hermitian photon bound pairs are also observed, which demonstrates a competition among NHSE, BSL and edge localization. Finally, we propose the experimental simulations via the platforms of electrical circuits. Our works shed light on the crossover study of quantum optics and non-Hermitian many body physics.
Abstract We investigate distinct non-Hermitian skin effects (NHSEs) in real and Fock spaces induced by the interplay between the Hilbert space fragmentation and multiple non-Hermitian pumping channels. Using an extended Hatano–Nelson model with next-nearest neighbor hopping and strong interaction as an example, we found that two fermions loaded in the lattice exhibit different real-space NHSE depending on the Hilbert space fragments to which they belong. Moreover, in the high-energy sector resulting from fragmentation, the two-particle-bound states form a one-dimensional lattice in Fock space, producing a Fock-space NHSE. At half-filling, richer patterns of Fock-space skin-like localization emerge for the different fragmented energy sectors and subsectors while real-space NHSE is suppressed by many-body effects. This study extends our understanding of the interplay between NHSE and Hilbert space fragmentation and provides detailed insights into their manifestation in interacting non-Hermitian systems.
We investigate the interplay between strong disorder and repulsive interactions in the one-dimensional Fermi-Hubbard model under open boundary conditions. While uncorrelated disorder is widely accepted to localize all single-particle eigenstates, a phenomenon typically reinforced by interactions in the Many-Body Localization (MBL) regime, we report a counter-intuitive breakdown of this paradigm. We demonstrate that strong repulsive interactions can overcome disorder-induced localization, driving the system into a macroscopically segregated phase where spin species accumulate at opposite boundaries. Although this boundary accumulation phenomenologically mimics the Non-Hermitian Skin Effect (NHSE) observed in non-reciprocal systems, our comprehensive analysis reveals a fundamentally different origin. By performing a rigorous control experiment in the Hermitian limit, we prove that the segregation persists without non-reciprocity, identifying many-body energy minimization as the primary driver. This "interaction-induced segregation" manifests as a sharp thermodynamic crossover, characterized by a divergent energy susceptibility, challenging the conventional understanding of disorder-interaction competition in open quantum systems.
The non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE), referring to the anomalous localization of eigenstates, has been widely discussed in single-particle systems. However, the interplay between the interacting NHSE and the quantum optical phenomena remains elusive. Here, We present the non-Hermitian quantum walks of strongly correlated photon pairs. Through studying the dynamic behavior of the photon pairs in the nonreciprocal Bose-Hubbard chain, we theoretically demonstrate the interplay between interactions and the NHSE. When launching two non-entangled photons, the photons exhibit the nonreciprocal bunching effect, which can be suppressed by the interactions. When launching two path-entangled photons, the interactions can not only suppress but reverse the nonreciprocal bunching. In stark contrast to the common wisdom that the NHSE suppresses the entanglement of the quantum many-body system, the entanglement of the photons here can be significantly enhanced. Our results reveal that many-body interactions and entanglement significantly restrain the non-Hermitian nonreciprocal quantum dynamics, offering insights into the interplay between many-body quantum entanglement and non-Hermitian physics. The non-Hermitian skin effect, which nonreciprocally accumulates particles at the boundary, generally suppresses entanglement by constraining global correlations. Here, the authors demonstrate that interactions can suppress nonreciprocal bunching, while entangled photons can reverse bunching direction, leading to enhanced entanglement.
The non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE), the accumulation of eigen-wave functions at boundaries of open systems, underlies a variety of exotic properties that defy conventional wisdom. While the NHSE and its intriguing impact on band topology and dynamics have been observed in classical or photonic systems, their demonstration in a quantum gas system remains elusive. Here we report the experimental realization of a dissipative Aharonov-Bohm chain-non-Hermitian topological model with NHSE-in the momentum space of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate. We identify signatures of the NHSE in the condensate dynamics, and perform Bragg spectroscopy to resolve topological edge states against a background of localized bulk states. Our Letter sets the stage for further investigation on the interplay of many-body statistics and interactions with the NHSE, and is a significant step forward in the quantum control and simulation of non-Hermitian physics.
The non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) -- the anomalous boundary accumulation of an extensive number of bulk modes -- has emerged as a hallmark of non-Hermitian physics, with broad implications for transport, sensing, and topological classification. A central open question is how magnetic or synthetic gauge fields influence this boundary phenomenon. Here, we develop a theoretical framework for magnetic control of the NHSE along line boundaries in two-dimensional single-band lattices. Using a non-Hermitian extension of the anisotropic Harper--Hofstadter model as a representative example, we show that magnetic fields suppress the geometric skin effect in reciprocal models, whereas skin localization can persist in nonreciprocal systems. The analysis disentangles the interplay of flux, nonreciprocity, and boundary geometry, revealing that magnetic fields mitigate or suppress the NHSE through distinct physical mechanisms -- such as bulk localization via Landau or Anderson physics, or the restoration of effective reciprocity. In particular, the geometry-dependent skin effect in reciprocal systems is found to be fragile against even weak magnetic fields.
We study two-particle states in a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain with periodic boundary conditions and nearest-neighbor (NN) interactions. The system is mapped into a problem of a single particle in a two-dimensional (2D) SSH lattice with potential walls along specific edges. The 2D SSH model has a trivial Chern number but a non-trivial Zak's phase, the one-dimensional (1D) topological invariant, along specific directions of the lattice, which allow for the presence of topological edge states. Using center-of-mass and relative coordinates, we calculate the energy spectrum of these two-body states for strong interactions and find that, aside from the expected appearance of doublon bands, two extra in-gap bands are present. These are identified as bands of topological states localized at the edges of the internal coordinate, the relative distance between the two particles. As such, the topological states reported here are intrinsically many-body in what concerns their real space manifestation, having no counterpart in single-particle states derived from effective models. Finally, we compare the effect of Hubbard interactions with that of NN interactions to show how the presence of the topological bound states is specific to the latter case.