Directional amplification, in which signals are amplified selectively depending on their propagation direction, is a key resource for quantum information processing and stands in one-to-one correspondence with non-trivial non-Hermitian topology. So far, this correspondence has concerned the mean fields, and thus classical response. Here we turn to the quantum fluctuations, giving access to correlations and entanglement. For phase-preserving amplifiers, we derive analytic expressions for the normal and anomalous correlations, showing that non-trivial topology produces correlations that grow exponentially with the distance between modes and approach the largest values compatible with the uncertainty relations. The associated correlation length diverges at the topological phase transition. Entanglement nonetheless remains local, set by the competition between normalised anomalous correlations and the asymmetry of the mode occupations. For the bosonic Kitaev chain, a phase-sensitive amplifier, the system instead splits into two halves that are internally fully correlated yet mutually uncorrelated. Our work prepares the ground for exploring the quantum properties of non-Hermitian topological systems with state-of-the-art platforms such as cavity optomechanics and superconducting circuits.
Directional amplification, in which signals are amplified selectively depending on their propagation direction, is a key resource for quantum information processing and stands in one-to-one correspondence with non-trivial non-Hermitian topology. So far, this correspondence has concerned the mean fields, and thus classical response. Here we turn to the quantum fluctuations, giving access to correlations and entanglement. For phase-preserving amplifiers, we derive analytic expressions for the normal and anomalous correlations, showing that non-trivial topology produces correlations that grow exponentially with the distance between modes and approach the largest values compatible with the uncertainty relations. The associated correlation length diverges at the topological phase transition. Entanglement nonetheless remains local, set by the competition between normalised anomalous correlations and the asymmetry of the mode occupations. For the bosonic Kitaev chain, a phase-sensitive amplifier, the system instead splits into two halves that are internally fully correlated yet mutually uncorrelated. Our work prepares the ground for exploring the quantum properties of non-Hermitian topological systems with state-of-the-art platforms such as cavity optomechanics and superconducting circuits.
Driven-dissipative quantum systems can exhibit robust transport and amplification in topological regimes, yet the connection between topology and the extent of correlations remains largely unexplored. In this work, we develop a general framework that links topological phases in driven-dissipative systems to bosonic correlations via the singular value decomposition (SVD). In essence, we claim that non-Hermitian topology in quadratic Liouvillians is directly encoded in steady-state correlations, providing an intrinsic characterization of topology without external probes. We show that topological amplification induces disorder-robust long-range order (LRO) in steady-state correlations at fixed frequency, establishing frequency-resolved correlations as direct signatures of non-Hermitian topological phases. We introduce a vector-valued topological invariant that captures the total number of singular-value gap closings across the frequency axis, extending the concept of adiabatic deformation from topological insulators to the case of topological phases of quadratic Liouvillians. Within this framework, we further demonstrate that the spatial structure of equal-time correlations encodes global topological information, manifested as a Gaussian spatial decay with distance in the topological phase, in contrast to the exponential decay characteristic of trivial phases. These findings open new avenues for quantum sensing and correlation engineering in non-Hermitian systems, with feasible implementations in platforms such as trapped ions and superconducting circuits.
The development of non-Hermitian topological band theory has led to observations of novel topological phenomena in effectively classical, driven, and dissipative systems. However, for open quantum many-body systems, the absence of a ground state presents a challenge to define robust signatures of non-Hermitian topology. We show that such a signature is provided by crossings in the time evolution of the entanglement spectrum. These crossings occur in quenches from the trivial to the topological phase of a driven-dissipative Kitaev chain that is described by a Markovian quantum master equation in Lindblad form. At the topological transition, which can be crossed either by changing parameters of the Hamiltonian of the system or by increasing the strength of dissipation, the timescale at which the first entanglement spectrum crossing occurs diverges with a dynamical critical exponent of $\ensuremath{\epsilon}=1/2$. We corroborate these numerical findings with an exact analytical solution of the quench dynamics for a spectrally flat postquench Liouvillian. This exact solution suggests an interpretation of the topological quench dynamics as a fermion parity pump. Our work thus reveals signatures of non-Hermitian topology that are unique to quantum many-body systems and cannot be emulated in classical simulators of non-Hermitian wave physics.
The conventional time-dependent perturbation theory in quantum mechanics is established within the framework of Hermitian Hamiltonians, applicable for describing quantum transitions and associated energy level responses in such systems. However, this theory has fundamental limitations when applied to non-Hermitian systems. Consequently, researchers have systematically extended time-dependent perturbation theory to non-Hermitian systems, establishing a corresponding mature framework. Building on this foundation, this study extends the theory to investigate the transition dynamics induced by non-Hermitian interactions in non-Hermitian Hamiltonian systems. We employ a biorthogonal basis representation for a three-level non-Hermitian system. This work investigates a system comprising an unperturbed static non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and a periodically driven time-dependent perturbation Hamiltonian. Taking the three-level system as a concrete example, we combine analytical methods with numerical simulations to solve and analyze its dynamical evolution equations. These complementary approaches reveal that when system parameters complete a full cycle around an exceptional point, the transitional behavior exhibits specific evolutionary patterns. In this system, quantum transition probabilities exhibit significant asymmetry and non-conservation that depend on the initial and final states, revealing inherent directional characteristics in the dynamical process. Furthermore, for a three-level, periodically driven non-Hermitian system with time-dependent perturbations, this asymmetry is even more pronounced, manifesting as a distinct disparity between forward and reverse transition probabilities. The periodic driving actively amplifies the asymmetry in the transition process. By designing the perturbation spectrum, selective manipulation of specific quantum states can be achieved. Moreover, transition probabilities can be significantly enhanced under resonance conditions, while non-Hermiticity further breaks the system's inherent symmetry, leading to substantial amplification of transitions in a single direction. By precisely tuning the drive frequency, interactions between specific coupling channels can be selectively enhanced or suppressed. The amplification of channel asymmetry by non-Hermitian properties provides a novel mechanism for directional control of quantum states and opens new pathways for realizing related quantum technologies.
The intricate interplay between unitary evolution and projective measurements could induce entanglement phase transitions in the nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum many-particle systems. In this work, we uncover loss-induced entanglement transitions in non-Hermitian topological superconductors. In prototypical Kitaev chains with onsite particle losses and varying hopping and pairing ranges, the bipartite entanglement entropy of steady states is found to scale logarithmically versus the system size in topologically nontrivial phases and become independent of the system size in the trivial phase. Notably, the scaling coefficients of log-law entangled phases are distinguishable when the underlying system resides in different topological phases. Log-law to log-law and log-law to area-law entanglement phase transitions are further identified when the system switches between different topological phases and goes from a topologically nontrivial to a trivial phase, respectively. These findings not only establish the relationships among spectral, topological and entanglement properties in a class of non-Hermitian topological superconductors but also provide an efficient means to dynamically reveal their distinctive topological features.
The interplay between topology and non-Hermiticity gives rise to exotic dynamic phenomena that challenge conventional wave-packet propagation and entanglement dynamics. While recent studies have established the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) as a key mechanism for anomalous wave dynamics, a unified framework for characterizing and controlling entanglement evolution in non-Hermitian topological systems remains underdeveloped. Here, by combining theory and experiments, we demonstrate that entanglement entropy (EE) and transport currents serve as robust dynamic probes to distinguish various non-Hermitian topological regimes. Using a generalized non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model implemented in an acoustic analog platform, we identify three dynamic phases, bulk-like, edge-like, and skin-like regimes, each exhibiting unique EE signatures and transport characteristics. In particular, skin-like dynamics exhibit periodic information shuttling with finite, oscillatory EE, while edge-like dynamics lead to complete EE suppression. We further map the dynamic phase diagram and show that EE scaling and temporal profiles directly reflect the competition between coherent delocalization and NHSE-driven localization. Our results establish a programmable approach to steering entanglement and transport via tailored non-Hermitian couplings, offering a pathway for engineering quantum information dynamics in synthetic phononic, photonic, and quantum simulators.
Superconducting quantum circuits are a natural platform for quantum simulations of a wide variety of important lattice models describing topological phenomena, spanning condensed matter and high-energy physics. One such model is the bosonic analog of the well-known fermionic Kitaev chain, a 1D tight-binding model with both nearest-neighbor hopping and pairing terms. Despite being fully Hermitian, the bosonic Kitaev chain exhibits a number of striking features associated with non-Hermitian systems, including chiral transport and a dramatic sensitivity to boundary conditions known as the non-Hermitian skin effect. Here, using a multimode superconducting parametric cavity, we implement the bosonic Kitaev chain in synthetic dimensions. The lattice sites are mapped to frequency modes of the cavity, and the in situ tunable complex hopping and pairing terms are created by parametric pumping at the mode-difference and mode-sum frequencies, respectively. We experimentally demonstrate important precursors of nontrivial topology and the non-Hermitian skin effect in the bosonic Kitaev chain, including chiral transport, quadrature wavefunction localization, and sensitivity to boundary conditions. Our experiment is an important first step towards exploring genuine many-body non-Hermitian quantum dynamics.