Non-Hermitian linear response theory

Abstract

Linear response theory lies at the heart of quantum many-body physics because it builds up connections between the dynamical response to an external probe and correlation functions at equilibrium. Here we consider the dynamical response of a Hermitian system to a non-Hermitian probe, and we develop a non-Hermitian linear response theory that can also relate this dynamical response to equilibrium properties. As an application of our theory, we consider the real-time dynamics of momentum distribution induced by one-body and two-body dissipations. We find that, for many cases, the dynamics of momentum occupation and the width of momentum distribution obey the same universal function, governed by the single-particle spectral function. We also find that, for critical state with no well-defined quasi-particles, the dynamics are slower than normal state and our theory provides a model independent way to extract the critical exponent. We apply our results to analyze recent experiment on the Bose-Hubbard model and find surprising good agreement between theory and experiment. We also propose to further verify our theory by carrying out a similar experiment on a one-dimensional Luttinger liquid.