Manipulating Spectral Windings and Skin Modes through Nonconservative Couplings

Abstract: The discovery of the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) has revolutionized our understanding of wave propagation in non-Hermitian systems, highlighting unexpected localization effects beyond conventional theories. Here, we discover that NHSE, accompanied by multitype spectral phases, can be induced by manipulating nonconservative couplings. By characterizing the spectra through the windings of the energy bands, we demonstrate that band structures with identical, opposite, and even twisted windings can be achieved. These inequivalent types of spectra originate from the multichannel interference resulting from the interplay between conservative and nonconservative couplings. Associated with the multitype spectra, unipolar and bipolar NHSE with different eigenmode localizations can be observed. Additionally, our findings link the nonreciprocal transmission properties of the system to multiple spectral phases, indicating a connection with the skin modes. This paper paves new pathways for investigating non-Hermitian topological effects and manipulating nonreciprocal energy flow.