Critical non-Hermitian phenomena constitute a hallmark of non-Hermitian systems, characterized by discontinuous jumping of the bulk states across a critical parameter point in the thermodynamic limit. Recently, theoretical studies have predicted a novel critical phenomenon associated with edge states, termed critical non-Hermitian edge states, which has not yet been verified experimentally. Here, we realize a one-dimensional electric circuit and demonstrate the existence of critical non-Hermitian edge states. In the thermodynamic limit, the eigenvectors of two edge states collapse into an exceptional point when the onsite capacitance is absent, whereas even an infinitesimal capacitance renders them nearly orthogonal. This critical non-Hermitian phenomenon is observed by measuring the distributions of admittance eigenvectors. Our experimental results reveal a unique type of critical non-Hermitian phenomenon and further enrich experimental non-Hermitian physics.

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• Edge states
• Topolectrical circuits
• Topological metamaterials
• Non-Hermitian systems