Topological Eigenvalue Braiding and Quantum State Transfer Near a Third-Order Exceptional Point
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2025

Non-Hermitian systems exhibit a variety of unique features rooted in the presence of exceptional points (EPs). The distinct topological structure in the proximity of an EP gives rise to counterintuitive behaviors absent in Hermitian systems, which emerge after encircling the EP either quasistatically or dynamically. However, experimental exploration of EP encirclement in quantum systems, particularly those involving high-order EPs, remains challenging due to the difficulty of coherently controlling more degrees of freedom. In this work, we experimentally investigate the eigenvalue braiding and state transfer arising from the encirclement of EP in a three-dimensional non-Hermitian quantum system using superconducting circuits. We characterize the second- and third-order EPs through the coalescence of eigenvalues. Then we reveal the topological structure near the EP3 by quasistatically encircling it along various paths with three independent parameters, which yields the eigenvalue braiding described by the braid group B3. Additionally, we observe chiral state transfer between three eigenstates under a fast driving scheme when no EPs are enclosed, while time-symmetric behavior occurs when at least one EP is encircled. Our findings offer insights into understanding non-Hermitian topological structures and the manipulation of quantum states through dynamic operations.

Författare

He Zhang

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Tong Liu

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Chalmers, Mikroteknologi och nanovetenskap, Kvantteknologi

Zhongcheng Xiang

Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale

Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences

Kai Xu

Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences

Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale

Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Heng Fan

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale

Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences

Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory

Dongning Zheng

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory

Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale

PRX Quantum

26913399 (eISSN)

Vol. 6 2 020328

Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2025)

Den kondenserade materiens fysik

DOI

10.1103/PRXQuantum.6.020328

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Senast uppdaterat

2025-05-27