Non-Hermitian linear response theory

Linear response theory lies at the heart of studying quantum matters, because it connects the dynamical response of a quantum system to an external probe to correlation functions of the unprobed equilibrium state. Thanks to linear response theory, various experimental probes can be used for determining equilibrium properties. However, so far, both the unprobed system and the probe operator are limited to Hermitian ones. Here, we develop a non-Hermitian linear response theory that considers the dynamical response of a Hermitian system to a non-Hermitian probe, and we can also relate such a dynamical response to the properties of an unprobed Hermitian system at equilibrium. As an application of our theory, we consider the real-time dynamics of momentum distribution induced by one-body and two-body dissipations. Remarkably, for a critical state with no well-defined quasi-particles, we find that the dynamics are slower than the normal state with well-defined quasi-particles, and our theory provides a model-independent way to extract the critical exponent in the real-time correlation function. We find surprisingly good agreement between our theory and a recent cold atom experiment on the dissipative Bose-Hubbard model. We also propose to further quantitatively verify our theory by performing experiments on dissipative one-dimensional Luttinger liquid. Generalization of linear response theory to the non-Hermitian case turns dissipation into a new tool for detecting equilibrium phases. The prediction from this theory remarkably agrees with a recent cold atom experiment.