Interacting non-Hermitian edge and cluster bursts on a digital quantum processor

Dissipation can drive striking dynamics in quantum systems. A recent discovery is the non-Hermitian edge burst, where energy density transiently accumulates near boundaries rather than decaying uniformly. Previously observed in single-particle settings, this effect remains unexplored in interacting multi-particle systems, as tunable interactions are difficult to realize in conventional platforms, and non-Hermitian simulation is demanding on quantum processors. Here, we develop a framework for digital non-Hermitian Hamiltonian simulation that composes a linear-combination-of-unitaries scheme and product formulae. The method is efficient in classical preprocessing costs and circuit sizes. Implementing an interacting quantum ladder model on a superconducting quantum processor, we observe edge-burst signatures in up to 64 unit cells, directly probe dissipative-gap closing, and identify interaction-driven phenomena: spatially extended and patterned edge bursts, and cluster bursts in the bulk. Our study establishes digital quantum processors as a versatile platform for non-Hermitian physics. Using digital quantum simulators to study non-Hermitian physics requires realizing non-unitary time-evolution on unitary gate-based hardware. Here, the authors tackle this issue using an ancilla-assisted circuit block performing controlled forward and backward Hermitian time-evolution, and simulate multi-particle non-Hermitian edge burst on superconducting transmon-based quantum hardware.