Edge states at the interface of non-Hermitian systems

Abstract

Topological edge states appear at the interface of two topologically distinct Hermitian insulators. We study the extension of this idea to non-Hermitian systems. We consider PT-symmetric and topologically distinct non-Hermitian insulators with real spectra and study topological edge states at the interface of them. We show that PT symmetry is spontaneously broken at the interface during the topological phase transition. Therefore, topological edge states with complex energy eigenvalues appear at the interface. We apply our idea to a complex extension of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model.