Stability of PT and anti-PT-symmetric Hamiltonians with multiple harmonics

Abstract

Hermitian Hamiltonians with time-periodic coefficients can be analyzed via Floquet theory, and have been extensively used for engineering Floquet Hamiltonians in standard quantum simulators. Generalized to non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, time periodicity offers avenues to engineer the landscape of Floquet quasienergies across the complex plane. We investigate two-level non-Hermitian PT and anti-PT-symmetric Hamiltonians with coefficients that have multiple harmonics using Floquet theory. By analytical and numerical calculations, we obtain their regions of stability, defined by real Floquet quasienergies, and contours of exceptional point (EP) degeneracies. We extend our analysis to study the phases that accompany these cyclic changes with the biorthogonality approach. Our results demonstrate that these time-periodic Hamiltonians generate a rich landscape of stable (real) and unstable (complex) regions.