Higher-order exceptional ring semimetal with real hinge states in acoustic metamaterials.

Authors

Yejian Hu, Zhenhang Pu, Xiangru Chen, Yuxiang Xi, Jiuyang Lu, Weiyin Deng, Manzhu Ke, Zhengyou Liu

Published in

National science review. Volume 13. Issue 11. Pages nwag221. Epub Apr 10, 2026.

Abstract

Non-Hermitian topological phase, with the novel concepts such as exceptional points and the skin effect, has opened up a new paradigm beyond Hermitian topological physics. Exceptional ring semimetal, featured by a stable ring of exceptional points in three dimensions, exhibits first-order topological properties, including topological surface states and a surface-dependent skin effect. Nevertheless, despite extensive research on Hermitian higher-order insulators and semimetals, higher-order exceptional ring semimetal is just emerging. Here, we report the first realization of a higher-order Weyl exceptional ring semimetal in a three-dimensional lossy acoustic metamaterial. The non-Hermitian higher-order topology is reflected in the topological hinge states and a hinge-dependent skin effect. Counterintuitively, the topological hinge states maintain purely real energy even under a high loss level, ensuring robust hinge-state propagation. Our findings evidence the non-Hermitian higher-order bulk-boundary correspondence of exceptional ring semimetal, and may pave the way for non-Hermitian functional acoustic devices.

PMID:
42359333
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Jun 2026.

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