Edge burst effect and scale-free localization

Abstract

The non-Hermitian edge burst is a phenomenon observed in non-Hermitian quantum dynamics, characterized by a significant accumulation of loss at the boundaries of a system. We present an example of the edge burst effect in a lossy lattice with bipolar non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE). By introducing a weak coupling between two such non-Hermitian lattices, we demonstrate that the system exhibits bipolar scale-free localization. Through an analysis of local decay distributions and their sensitivity to system parameters, we confirm the occurrence of the edge burst effect in the system displaying scale-free localization. Our findings support the notion that the skin effect is not a necessary condition for the edge burst effect.