Paper detail

Dissipative analog of four-dimensional quantum Hall physics

Four-dimensional quantum Hall (QH) models usually rely on synthetic dimensions for their simulation in experiment. Here, we study a QH system which features a nontrivial configuration of three-dimensional Weyl cones on its boundaries. We propose a three-dimensional analog of this model in the form of a dissipative Weyl semimetal (WSM) described by a non-Hermitian (NH) Hamiltonian, which in the long-time limit manifests the anomalous boundary physics of the four-dimensional QH model in the bulk spectrum. The topology of the NH WSM is captured by a three-dimensional winding number whose value is directly related to the total chirality of the surviving Weyl nodes. Upon taking open boundary conditions, instead of Fermi arcs, we find exceptional points with an order that scales with system size.