Non-Hermitian Topology from Edge Transport in Hermitian Quantum Anomalous Hall Systems
Abstract
Non-Hermitian physics, known for exotic phenomena like exceptional points and the skin effect, has been most prominently realized in engineered systems relying on controlled gain and loss. Here we show that it can also arise naturally as an intrinsic transport response of a globally Hermitian quantum anomalous Hall system, without the need for external non-Hermitian engineering. We show that the interplay between unidirectional chiral edge modes and diffusive normal edge modes induces intrinsic non-reciprocal transport described by a continuum Hatano-Nelson model. Consequently, the non-Hermitian skin effect is encoded directly in experimentally accessible Hall-bar observables: the electrochemical potential and local heat dissipation acquire chirality-dependent exponential spatial profiles, while the longitudinal conductance decays exponentially with system size and the Hall conductance remains quantized. Using Landauer--B{"u}ttiker simulations, we confirm these transport signatures and identify magnetic topological insulators as a realistic platform for an intrinsic non-Hermitian transport response. Our results bridge non-Hermitian topology with mesoscopic transport, opening a pathway toward non-Hermitian topological devices in solid-state systems.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{zhou2026nonhermitian,
title = {{Non-Hermitian Topology from Edge Transport in Hermitian Quantum Anomalous Hall Systems}},
author = {Humian Zhou and Ming Lu and Chui-Zhen Chen and X. C. Xie},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.23099},
eprint = {2609.23099},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.23099},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Non-Hermitian Topology from Edge Transport in Hermitian Quantum Anomalous Hall Systems
AU - Humian Zhou
AU - Ming Lu
AU - Chui-Zhen Chen
AU - X. C. Xie
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/19
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.23099
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.23099
AB - Non-Hermitian physics, known for exotic phenomena like exceptional points and the skin effect, has been most prominently realized in engineered systems relying on controlled gain and loss. Here we show that it can also arise naturally as an intrinsic transport response of a globally Hermitian quantum anomalous Hall system, without the need for external non-Hermitian engineering. We show that the interplay between unidirectional chiral edge modes and diffusive normal edge modes induces intrinsic non-reciprocal transport described by a continuum Hatano-Nelson model. Consequently, the non-Hermitian skin effect is encoded directly in experimentally accessible Hall-bar observables: the electrochemical potential and local heat dissipation acquire chirality-dependent exponential spatial profiles, while the longitudinal conductance decays exponentially with system size and the Hall conductance remains quantized. Using Landauer--B{"u}ttiker simulations, we confirm these transport signatures and identify magnetic topological insulators as a realistic platform for an intrinsic non-Hermitian transport response. Our results bridge non-Hermitian topology with mesoscopic transport, opening a pathway toward non-Hermitian topological devices in solid-state systems.
ER -