Non-Hermitian wave-packet dynamics and its realization within a non-Hermitian chiral cavity

Abstract Topological wave-packet dynamics provide a powerful framework for studying quantum transport in topological materials. However, extending this approach to non-Hermitian quantum systems presents several important challenges, primarily due to ambiguities in defining the Berry phase and the non-unitary evolution of the wave-packets when $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>P</mml:mi> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> </mml:math> symmetry is broken. In this work, we adopt the complex Berry phase definition using the bi-orthogonal formalism and derive the semiclassical equations of motion (EOM) for a wave-packet in a non-Hermitian topological system. Interestingly, we find that the complex Berry curvature introduces both an anomalous velocity and a non-Hermitian Hall-like force into the semiclassical EOM. To validate the derived EOM, we design a non-Hermitian Haldane model featuring non-reciprocal next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) hopping, where the imbalance in the NNN hopping amplitudes gives rise to an emergent ‘ complex chirality ’. We reveal that the real and imaginary components of the complex chirality dictate the signs of both the real and imaginary parts of the complex Berry curvature, as well as the direction and dissipation rate of the edge states. Our analytical findings are confirmed by direct numerical simulations of the wave-packet dynamics. Finally, we suggest a potential experimental realization of this complex Haldane model using a non-Hermitian optical chiral cavity, providing a promising platform for testing our theoretical predictions.