Fragmented exceptional points and their bulk and edge realizations in lattice models

Abstract

Exceptional points (EPs) are spectral defects displayed by non-Hermitian systems in which multiple degenerate eigenvalues share a single eigenvector. This distinctive feature makes systems exhibiting EPs more sensitive to external perturbations than their Hermitian counterparts, where degeneracies are nondefective diabolic points. In contrast to these widely studied cases, more complex non-Hermitian degeneracies in which the eigenvectors are only partially degenerate are poorly understood. Here, we characterize these fragmented exceptional points (FEPs) systematically from a physical perspective, and demonstrate how they can be induced into the bulk and edge spectrum of two-dimensional and three-dimensional lattice models, exemplified by non-Hermitian versions of a Lieb lattice and a higher-order topological Dirac semimetal. The design of the systems is facilitated by an efficient algebraic approach within which we provide precise conditions for FEPs that can be evaluated directly from a given model Hamiltonian. The free design of FEPs significantly opens up a new frontier for non-Hermitian physics and expands the scope for designing systems with unconventional response characteristics.