We propose a non-Hermitian Floquet photonic lattice formed by a physical resonator coordinate and a synthetic frequency coordinate. A two-step modulation protocol realizes a chiral walk in this physical-synthetic plane, with a real synthetic flux controlling loop interference and imaginary gauge fields controlling non-reciprocal envelopes. We show that anomalous corner pairs at quasienergies zero and (π/T) exhibit three distinct layers of physics. A non-Bloch higher-order construction predicts whether the (0/π) corner pair exists under open boundaries. The imaginary gauge fields select where the right eigenmodes accumulate. The real flux controls the local interference matrix element that determines whether the doubled-period optical response is visible. As a result, the same topological coexistence sector can be bright, skin-dark, or flux-dark in a local optical measurement. We further show that the complex gauge can tune an exceptional point of the two-period corner propagator. At this point the anomalous response keeps its doubled-period sign alternation, but its envelope becomes algebraic because of a Jordan block. These results provide a photonic route to separate topological existence, skin-selected localization, optical visibility, and defective two-period dynamics in a non-Hermitian synthetic dimension.
We formulate a one-dimensional flux-controlled anomalous Floquet quantum walk and show that it admits a direct microscopic realization in a driven bipartite lattice. The walk consists of a coin-dependent drift step and a momentum-dependent coin mixing step, so the same evolution operator governs quasienergy bands, boundary modes, and bulk dynamics in real space. Because the walk is chiral, the quasienergy gaps at
0 and
π/T carry independent topological information, which organizes trivial,
0-only,
π-only, and coexistence sectors in the
(M,φ) plane. In the coexistence sector, a
0 mode and a
π mode reside on the same edge and span a natural boundary logical subspace. One Floquet period acts there as a relative phase operation and produces a clear
2T response in local boundary observables. In the bulk, the same anomalous Floquet structure is probed dynamically in two complementary ways. Frame-resolved mean chiral displacements approach the two winding numbers in the clean pre-reflection window of the symmetric time frames, while selected benchmark cuts at a representative
0 gap closing and a representative
π gap closing exhibit distinct local stroboscopic responses, with the
π gap benchmark showing a much stronger odd-even alternation. The boundary logical subspace and the bulk dynamical probes are therefore organized within one flux-controlled anomalous Floquet quantum walk, suggesting a symmetry-protected route to quantum-walk information primitives in driven microstructured lattices.
Floquet systems like quantum walks can exhibit anomalous topological boundary modes that have no stationary counterpart. Although the topological properties of synthetic gauge fields have been explored in quantum walks, these studies have so far focused on Abelian gauge fields. We theoretically introduce synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields for topological quantum walks and study their topological consequences. The photonic mesh lattice configuration is generalized with polarization multiplexing to achieve a four-dimensional Hilbert space, based on which we provide photonic building blocks for realizing various quantum walks in non-Abelian gauge fields. It is found that SU(2) gauge fields can lead to Peierls substitution in both momenta and quasienergy. In one and two dimensions, we describe detailed photonic setups to realize topological quantum walk protocols whose Floquet winding numbers and Rudner–Lindner–Berg–Levin invariants can be effectively controlled by the gauge fields. Finally, we show how non-Abelian gauge fields facilitate convenient simulation of entanglement in conjunction with polarization-dependent and spatial-mode-dependent coin operations. Our results shed light on the study of synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields in photonic Floquet systems and hold implications for time-multiplexed optical networks.
We theoretically introduce synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields for topological quantum walks. The photonic mesh lattice configuration is generalized with polarization multiplexing to achieve a four-dimensional Hilbert space, based on which we provide photonic building blocks for realizing various quantum walks in non-Abelian gauge fields. It is found that SU(2) gauge fields can lead to Peierls substitution in both momenta and quasienergy. In one and two dimensions, we describe detailed photonic setups to realize topological quantum walk protocols whose Floquet winding numbers and Rudner-Lindner-Berg-Levin invariants can be effectively controlled by the gauge fields. Finally, we show how non-Abelian gauge fields facilitate convenient simulation of entanglement in conjunction with polarization-dependent and spatial-mode-dependent coin operations. Our results shed light on the study of synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields in photonic Floquet systems.
We introduce a driven-dissipative Floquet model in which a single harmonic oscillator, with both frequency and decay rate modulated, realizes a non-Hermitian synthetic lattice with an effective electric-field gradient in frequency space. Using the Floquet-Green's function and the doubled Hamiltonian representation of non-Hermitian matrices, we show that the linear response of this system is characterized by a local winding number. Nontrivial values of the winding number induce directional amplification in the synthetic dimension, thereby converting input signals to different frequencies. The underlying mode structure is well described by a Jackiw-Rebbi-like continuum theory with Dirac cones and solitonic topological zero modes in synthetic frequency. Our results establish a simple and experimentally feasible route to non-Hermitian topological amplification, naturally implementable in current quantum technologies such as superconducting circuits.
We study the quantum evolution of a non-Hermitian qubit realized as a sub-manifold of a dissipative superconducting transmon circuit. Real-time tuning of the system parameters results in non-reciprocal quantum state transfer associated with proximity to the exceptional points of the effective Floquet Hamiltonian. We observe chiral geometric phases accumulated under state transport, verifying the quantum coherent nature of the evolution in the complex energy landscape and distinguishing between coherent and incoherent effects associated with exceptional point encircling. Our work demonstrates an entirely new method for control over quantum state vectors, highlighting new facets of quantum bath engineering enabled through time-periodic (Floquet) non-Hermitian control.
Periodic driving enables realization of topological phases without static counterparts. We experimentally realize and detect a one-dimensional anomalous Floquet topological phase in an optical lattice, using multi-frequency control to manipulate the relative sign structure of the gap windings
(W0,Wπ) associated with the
0 and
π quasienergy gaps. We develop a lattice-depth modulation scheme that induces staggered nearest-neighbor
s-
p orbital couplings and realize a minimal nontrivial Floquet topology under single-tone driving. Introducing a second tone, its relative phase controls the effective coupling signs in the
0 and
π gaps, thereby tuning the corresponding windings to add and produce a high-winding phase or to cancel while retaining nontrivial gap indices. We read out
(W0,Wπ) with a band-inversion-surface (BIS)-resolved Ramsey protocol assisted by lattice-position shaking, which measures relative Floquet phases on the BISs. Controlled quenches further confirm phase-dependent band modifications even at quasimomenta far from resonance. These results establish multi-frequency control with a tunable relative phase as a quantitative route to engineering anomalous Floquet topology, and demonstrate phase-coherent coexistence of distinct drive modalities.