Non-Hermitian Spectral Topology Shaped by Memory

Abstract

Non-Hermitian spectral topology has transformed our understanding of bulk--boundary correspondence in open systems, yet its exploration has largely remained within the Markovian regime of instantaneous coupling. Here, we reveal how memory shapes non-Hermitian spectral topology by extending coupling asymmetry from space to time. Spatiotemporal nonreciprocity and memory-induced spectral multivaluedness give rise to nontrivial spectral topology on multi-sheeted Riemann surfaces, governed by both spatial connectivity and interaction history. Coherent interference among long-range memory channels can induce anomalous spectral winding and skin localization opposite to the dominant-coupling direction. Moreover, asymmetric retardation alone can generate non-Hermitian spectral topology and skin accumulation even in the absence of spatial coupling asymmetry. Channel dissipation further drives topological transitions that reverse the skin effect, with a critical point at matched channel and lattice decay rates. We validate the anomalous skin effect and its dissipation-controlled reversal through full-wave simulations and microwave experiments. Our results establish time nonlocality as a fundamental degree of freedom in non-Hermitian topology, revealing phenomena inaccessible within the Markovian paradigm.