Frequency-controlled critical non-Hermitian skin effect in a topolectrical circuit
Phys. Rev. B 112, 045402 – Published 1 July, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/gggh-jy6j
Abstract
One of the most fascinating phenomena in non-Hermitian systems is the extensive accumulation of the bulk eigenstates under open boundary conditions known as the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE). Here, we propose a switchable NHSE in a topolectrical setup that can be turned on or off simply by varying the driving frequency without any modification to the physical circuit. Specifically, we consider a coupled system consisting of two non-Hermitian Hatano-Nelson chains where each node on one chain is connected to its neighboring nodes on the other chain via resistive couplings with opposite signs for the two coupling directions. Interestingly, the NHSE is switched on only if the driving frequency is greater than a certain critical frequency. Conversely, the NHSE in the coupled system is switched off when the frequency falls below the critical value, even though the individual uncoupled chains still exhibit the NHSE. This frequency-controlled NHSE may pave the way for many possible applications, including non-Hermitian sensors where the current and voltage localization can be manipulated through the driving frequency.