Higher-order topological insulators have attracted significant interest in both static single-particle and many-body lattice systems. While periodically driven (Floquet) higher-order topological phases have been explored at the single-particle level, the role of interactions in such systems remains less understood. In this paper, we extend previous studies by investigating interaction-induced higher-order topological phases through Floquet engineering. To achieve this, we construct an extended Bose-Hubbard model on a square lattice subjected to periodic driving. We demonstrate the emergence of interaction-induced normal Floquet second-order topological corner states for doublons (i.e., bound boson pairs) from a trivial phase, which exhibit robustness against disorder. Notably, beyond the normal phase, we reveal an interaction-induced anomalous Floquet second-order topological phase, where in-gap corner states of doublons emerge within the $\ensuremath{\pi}/T$ gap (
T being the driving period). Our model, accessible with state-of-the-art ultracold atom techniques, provides a platform for realizing interaction-driven higher-order topological phases uniquely enabled by periodic driving, with no direct counterparts in static or single-particle systems.
Abstract Strongly‐correlated systems in non‐Hermitian models are an emergent area of research. Herein, a non‐Hermitian Hubbard model is considered, where the single‐particle hopping amplitudes on the lattice are not reciprocal, and provide exact analytical results of the spectral structure in the two‐particle sector of Hilbert space under different boundary conditions. The analysis unveils some interesting spectral and dynamical effects of purely non‐Hermitian nature and that deviate from the usual scenario found in the single‐particle regime. Specifically, a spectral phase transition of the Mott‐Hubbard band on the infinite lattice is predicted as the interaction energy is increased above a critical value, from an open to a closed loop in complex energy plane, and the dynamical dissociation of doublons, i.e., instability of two‐particle bound states, in the bulk of the lattice, with a sudden revival of the doublon state when the two particles reach the lattice edge. Particle dissociation observed in the bulk of the lattice is a clear manifestation of non‐Hermitian dynamics arising from the different lifetimes of single‐particle and two‐particle states, whereas the sudden revival of the doublon state at the boundaries is a striking burst edge dynamical effect peculiar to non‐Hermitian systems with boundary‐dependent energy spectra, here predicted for the first time for correlated particles.