Observation of Restored Adiabatic State Transfer in Time-Modulated Non-Hermitian Systems

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Wang, Xiaowei, Arkhipov, Ievgen I., Lin, Quan, Gao, Huixia, Qu, Dengke, Xiao, Lei, Nori, Franco, Xue, Peng
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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_version_ 1866917413012897792
author Wang, Xiaowei
Arkhipov, Ievgen I.
Lin, Quan
Gao, Huixia
Qu, Dengke
Xiao, Lei
Nori, Franco
Xue, Peng
author_facet Wang, Xiaowei
Arkhipov, Ievgen I.
Lin, Quan
Gao, Huixia
Qu, Dengke
Xiao, Lei
Nori, Franco
Xue, Peng
contents Exceptional points (EPs) have attracted extensive research interest due to their intriguing properties. One of the hallmarks of EP physics is that dynamically encircling the EPs induces chiral mode switching, arising from the breakdown of adiabaticity due to the presence of a complex spectrum in the system's Hamiltonian. While such chiral mode behavior has been widely observed experimentally, achieving truly adiabatic, and thus symmetric, state transfer, regardless of the winding direction, in time-modulated non-Hermitian systems has remained elusive. In this work, we demonstrate that this long-sought adiabatic state dynamics can indeed be restored. By steering a two-mode photonic setup along specifically designed trajectories in parameter space, we realize conditions where the associated non-Hermitian evolution operator acquires a purely real spectrum. Moreover, our experimental platform enables controlled switching between symmetric (adiabatic) and chiral (non-adiabatic) state-transfer regimes for the same set of initial modes, thus effectively implementing a universal symmetric-asymmetric two-mode switch. Our results therefore open new avenues for harnessing unique topological spectral properties of non-Hermitian systems, paving the way for the practical design of versatile optical wave-manipulation devices and for advancing both classical and quantum information technologies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_14679
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Observation of Restored Adiabatic State Transfer in Time-Modulated Non-Hermitian Systems
Wang, Xiaowei
Arkhipov, Ievgen I.
Lin, Quan
Gao, Huixia
Qu, Dengke
Xiao, Lei
Nori, Franco
Xue, Peng
Optics
Quantum Physics
Exceptional points (EPs) have attracted extensive research interest due to their intriguing properties. One of the hallmarks of EP physics is that dynamically encircling the EPs induces chiral mode switching, arising from the breakdown of adiabaticity due to the presence of a complex spectrum in the system's Hamiltonian. While such chiral mode behavior has been widely observed experimentally, achieving truly adiabatic, and thus symmetric, state transfer, regardless of the winding direction, in time-modulated non-Hermitian systems has remained elusive. In this work, we demonstrate that this long-sought adiabatic state dynamics can indeed be restored. By steering a two-mode photonic setup along specifically designed trajectories in parameter space, we realize conditions where the associated non-Hermitian evolution operator acquires a purely real spectrum. Moreover, our experimental platform enables controlled switching between symmetric (adiabatic) and chiral (non-adiabatic) state-transfer regimes for the same set of initial modes, thus effectively implementing a universal symmetric-asymmetric two-mode switch. Our results therefore open new avenues for harnessing unique topological spectral properties of non-Hermitian systems, paving the way for the practical design of versatile optical wave-manipulation devices and for advancing both classical and quantum information technologies.
title Observation of Restored Adiabatic State Transfer in Time-Modulated Non-Hermitian Systems
topic Optics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.14679