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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Nature Communications

Topological memory of nonreciprocal scattering singularities

  • Haoye Qin1
  • Zhe Zhang2
  • Wenjing Lv1
  • Jue Li1
  • Junda Wang3
  • Zijin Yang4
  • Qinghua Song1
  • Romain Fleury3
4 affiliations
  1. 1Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China
  2. 2Department of Electrical Engineering, Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
  3. 3Laboratory of Wave Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
  4. 4School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
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Abstract

Non-Hermitian systems host a wealth of exotic phenomena, yet their temporal topology—particularly in time-reversal-symmetry-broken conditions—remains largely unexplored. Here, we experimentally demonstrate topological memory emerging from hysteresis-driven dynamics in a nonreciprocal microwave scattering system. The scattering singularity, encompassing both backscattering zeros and nonreciprocal exceptional points (EPs), serves as the cornerstone of this effect. Magnetic hysteresis induces a history-dependent trajectory of the complex scattering parameter that winds around such singularities, giving rise to quantized topological charges and sharp transitions when crossing them. At the limit of infinite nonreciprocity, backscattering zeros facilitate access to EPs, drastically easing their realization and yielding enhanced frequency combs near the transition. Extending these dynamics to free-space broadcasting and circulator-based topological insulators, we demonstrate nonreciprocity-assisted transport and long-distance preservation of scattering singularities. Our results uncover the interplay among singularity, nonreciprocity, and Floquet engineering, establishing a unified platform for exploring temporal topology and in-memory non-Hermitian photonics.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{qin2026topological,
  title = {{Topological memory of nonreciprocal scattering singularities}},
  author = {Haoye Qin and Zhe Zhang and Wenjing Lv and Jue Li and Junda Wang and Zijin Yang and Qinghua Song and Romain Fleury},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-77640-8},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77640-8},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Topological memory of nonreciprocal scattering singularities
AU  - Haoye Qin
AU  - Zhe Zhang
AU  - Wenjing Lv
AU  - Jue Li
AU  - Junda Wang
AU  - Zijin Yang
AU  - Qinghua Song
AU  - Romain Fleury
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/25
JO  - Nature Communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-77640-8
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77640-8
AB  - Non-Hermitian systems host a wealth of exotic phenomena, yet their temporal topology—particularly in time-reversal-symmetry-broken conditions—remains largely unexplored. Here, we experimentally demonstrate topological memory emerging from hysteresis-driven dynamics in a nonreciprocal microwave scattering system. The scattering singularity, encompassing both backscattering zeros and nonreciprocal exceptional points (EPs), serves as the cornerstone of this effect. Magnetic hysteresis induces a history-dependent trajectory of the complex scattering parameter that winds around such singularities, giving rise to quantized topological charges and sharp transitions when crossing them. At the limit of infinite nonreciprocity, backscattering zeros facilitate access to EPs, drastically easing their realization and yielding enhanced frequency combs near the transition. Extending these dynamics to free-space broadcasting and circulator-based topological insulators, we demonstrate nonreciprocity-assisted transport and long-distance preservation of scattering singularities. Our results uncover the interplay among singularity, nonreciprocity, and Floquet engineering, establishing a unified platform for exploring temporal topology and in-memory non-Hermitian photonics.
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -