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    Global Floquet band braiding in non-Hermitian space-time crystals

    Xianru Qin, Weixuan Zhang*, Wenhui Cao, and Xiangdong Zhang†

    • Key Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Quantum Architecture and Measurements of Ministry of Education, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China and Beijing Key Laboratory of Nanophotonics & Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems, School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

    • *Contact author: zhangwx@bit.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: zhangxd@bit.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. B 113, 085413 – Published 9 February, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jfpw-klv8

    Abstract

    Topological braiding of complex bands in non-Hermitian systems has emerged as a powerful framework for exploring novel topological phases. Although extensively investigated in static and Floquet-Bloch settings, such braiding is conventionally characterized by finite braid groups Bq, in which only subsets of bands participate in braiding processes. Here, we unveil a new class of spectral topology in non-Hermitian space-time crystals, called the global Floquet-band braiding, where all Floquet bands intertwine globally in generalized momentum-energy space. This phenomenon arises from the space-time translational symmetry, which enables single-orbital band crossings. The resulting braiding involves an infinite number of Floquet bands, referred to as infinite-band braiding. Under the rational space-time modulation, the multiband periodicity endows the system with a cylindrical topology, allowing the global braiding structure to be effectively described by cylindrical braid groups CBq. Crucially, this topology transcends the conventional framework of finite braid groups, marking a fundamental expansion of non-Hermitian spectral topology. In experiments, we implement a reconfigurable topolectrical circuit that realizes a part of the space-time band braiding. By exploiting space-time translation symmetry, we reconstruct the global Floquet-band braiding characterized by CB5. Our work establishes the non-Hermitian space-time crystal as a novel platform for engineering unprecedented non-Hermitian topological matter beyond existing paradigms.

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