Thermodynamic signatures of spectral compression in weakly non-Hermitian Dirac fermions

Abstract:Non-Hermitian band descriptions capture how loss, gain, and environmental coupling reshape quantum matter, yet most experimental probes remain wave based or dynamical. Here we develop an equilibrium charge-response route to spectral compression in Dirac materials. In the real-spectrum regime, invariance of the particle-number operator under the similarity transformation makes the quantum capacitance exactly that of the Hermitian partner, so the whole non-Hermitian content is carried by the Petermann factor. In a minimal nonreciprocal graphene model, hopping imbalance suppresses the Dirac velocity, enhancing the low-energy density of states and the capacitance as an exceptional point is approached. At charge neutrality the capacitance stays linear in temperature, with its slope enhanced relative to the Hermitian value. A perpendicular magnetic field recasts the same compression as a collapse of the Landau-level ladder, drawing more levels into the thermal window. In two dimensions, the capacitance enhancement relative to the Hermitian partner coincides exactly with the Petermann factor, even though the two have entirely different origins. This relation provides a controlled starting point for extending equilibrium thermodynamic probes to non-Hermitian electronic systems with interactions, disorder, and reservoir coupling.

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall); Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

arXiv:2604.14150 [cond-mat.mes-hall]

(or arXiv:2604.14150v2 [cond-mat.mes-hall] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.14150 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

Phys. Rev. E 114, L042101 (2026)

https://doi.org/10.1103/fl7p-xxg1 Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources

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