{
  "id": "2111.02263",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2021-11-03T14:58:13.000Z",
  "updated": "2021-11-03T14:58:13.000Z",
  "title": "Non-Hermitian physics without gain or loss: the skin effect of reflected waves",
  "authors": [
    "S. Franca",
    "V. Könye",
    "F. Hassler",
    "J. van den Brink",
    "I. C. Fulga"
  ],
  "comment": "9 pages, 5 figures",
  "journal": "Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 086601 (2022)",
  "doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.086601",
  "categories": [
    "cond-mat.mes-hall",
    "quant-ph"
  ],
  "abstract": "Physically, one tends to think of non-Hermitian systems in terms of gain and loss: the decay or amplification of a mode is given by the imaginary part of its energy. Here, we introduce an alternative avenue to the realm of non-Hermitian physics, which involves neither gain nor loss. Instead, complex eigenvalues emerge from the amplitudes and phase-differences of waves backscattered from the boundary of insulators. We show that for any strong topological insulator in a Wigner-Dyson class, the reflected waves are characterized by a reflection matrix exhibiting the non-Hermitian skin effect. This leads to an unconventional Goos-H\\\"{a}nchen effect: due to non-Hermitian topology, waves undergo a lateral shift upon reflection, even at normal incidence. Going beyond systems with gain and loss vastly expands the set of experimental platforms that can access non-Hermitian physics and show signatures associated to non-Hermitian topology.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2021-11-03T14:58:13.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "reflected waves",
      "non-hermitian topology",
      "access non-hermitian physics",
      "non-hermitian skin effect",
      "complex eigenvalues emerge"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "publisher": "APS",
      "journal": "Phys. Rev. Lett."
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 9,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable"
    }
  }
}