Non-Hermitian topolectrical circuit sensor with high sensitivity

Abstract

Electronic sensors play important roles in various applications, such as industry and environmental monitoring, biomedical sample ingredient analysis, wireless networks and so on. However, the sensitivity and robustness of current schemes are often limited by the low quality-factors of resonators and fabrication disorders. Hence, exploring new mechanisms of the electronic sensor with a high-level sensitivity and a strong robustness is of great significance. Here, we propose a new way to design electronic sensors with superior performances based on exotic properties of non-Hermitian topological physics. Owing to the extreme boundary-sensitivity of non-Hermitian topological zero modes, the frequency shift induced by boundary perturbations can show an exponential growth trend with respect to the size of non-Hermitian topolectrical circuit sensors. Moreover, such an exponential growth sensitivity is also robust against disorders of circuit elements. Using designed non-Hermitian topolectrical circuit sensors, we further experimentally verify the ultra-sensitive identification of the distance, rotation angle, and liquid level with the designed capacitive devices. Our proposed non-Hermitian topolectrical circuit sensors can possess a wide range of applications in ultra-sensitive environmental monitoring and show an exciting prospect for nextgeneration sensing technologies.