Bulk-Boundary Correspondence in a Non-Hermitian Chern Insulator

Abstract: A scenario of non-Hermitian bulk--boundary correspondence proposed for one-dimensional topological insulators is adapted to a non-Hermitian Chern insulator to examine its applicability to two-dimensional systems. This scenario employs bulk geometry under a modified periodic boundary condition and boundary geometry under an open boundary condition. The bulk geometry is used to define a topological number, whereas the boundary geometry is used to observe the presence or absence of a topological boundary state. It is demonstrated that the bulk--boundary correspondence holds in a two-dimensional Chern insulator with gain/loss-type non-Hermiticity; a nontrivial Chern number calculated in the bulk geometry is in one-to-one correspondence with the presence of a topological boundary state in the boundary geometry. This approach enables us to determine a phase diagram in the boundary geometry.