Non-Hermitian Topoelectrical Circuits: Expedient Tools for Topological State Engineering with Gain-Loss Modulation

Abstract

The congregation of topological quantum and classical systems with the ideas of non-Hermitian physics has generated enormous research interest in the last few years. While the concepts associated to non-trivial topological aspects have provided us an access to the disorder immune states, non-Hermitian physics, which was initially developed within the framework of quantum field theories, has contributed significantly to the study of open quantum systems. Particularly in optics and photonics, the study of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with balanced loss and gain has resulted in many counter-intuitive phenomena. However, the experimental realization of such systems is challenging, and the need for alternative platforms for testing theoretical propositions and proof of concept demonstrations is widely felt. In this context, active electrical and electronic circuitry has proved to be a prolific alternative and has been receiving increasing attention; mainly, the topoelectric circuits, in many instances, have facilitated the investigation of topological conceptions in conjunction with non-Hermitian physics, beyond the limitations of the condensed matter systems. This article provides a succinct introduction to these non-Hermitian topoelectrical circuits and will also discuss some of the novel physics of topological insulators and semimetals that can be conveniently realized and explored in such configurations.