Jacob Fauman | Searcharxiv

arXiv2025

Exceptional, but Separate: Precursors to Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking

Spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) and exceptional points (EPs) are often assumed to be inherently linked. Here we investigate the intricate relationship between SSB and specific classes of EPs across three distinct, real-world scenarios in nonlinear optics. In these systems, the two phenomena do not coincide for all classes of EPs; they can occur at dislocated points in parameter space. This recurring behavior across disparate platforms implies that such decoupling is not unique to these optical systems, but likely reflects a more general principle. Our results highlight the need for careful analysis of assumed correlations between SSB and EPs in both theoretical and applied contexts. They deepen our understanding of nonlinear dynamics in optical systems and prompt a broader reconsideration of contexts where EPs and SSB are thought to be interdependent.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Exceptional points of any order in a generalized Hatano-Nelson model

Exceptional points (EPs) are truly non-Hermitian (NH) degeneracies where matrices become defective. The order of such an EP is given by the number of coalescing eigenvectors. On the one hand, most work focuses on studying $N$th-order EPs in $(N\leq4)$-dimensional NH Bloch Hamiltonians. On the other hand, some works have remarked on the existence of EPs of orders scaling with systems size in models exhibiting the NH skin effect. In this work, we introduce a new type of EP and provide a recipe on how to realize EPs of arbitrary order not scaling with system size. We introduce a generalized version of the paradigmatic Hatano-Nelson model with longer-range hoppings. The EPs existing in this system show remarkable physical features: Their associated eigenstates have support on a subset of sites and exhibit the NH skin effect, which can be tuned to localize on the opposite end of the chain compared to all remaining states. Furthermore, the EPs are robust against generic perturbations in the hopping strengths as well as against a specific form of on-site disorder.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗