Non-Hermitian Floquet Phases with Even-Integer Topological Invariants in a Periodically Quenched Two-Leg Ladder

Abstract

Periodically driven non-Hermitian systems could possess exotic nonequilibrium phases with unique topological, dynamical, and transport properties. In this work, we introduce an experimentally realizable two-leg ladder model subjecting to both time-periodic quenches and non-Hermitian effects, which belongs to an extended CII symmetry class. Due to the interplay between drivings and nonreciprocity, rich non-Hermitian Floquet topological phases emerge in the system, with each of them characterized by a pair of even-integer topological invariants ( w 0 , w π ) ∈ 2 Z × 2 Z . Under the open boundary condition, these invariants further predict the number of zero- and π -quasienergy modes localized around the edges of the system. We finally construct a generalized version of the mean chiral displacement, which could be employed as a dynamical probe to the topological invariants of non-Hermitian Floquet phases in the CII symmetry class. Our work thus introduces a new type of non-Hermitian Floquet topological matter, and further reveals the richness of topology and dynamics in driven open systems.