Maximal coin-position entanglement and non-Hermitian skin effect in discrete-time quantum walks
Ding Cheng, Yi Li, Hao Zhao, Haijun Kang, Cui Kong, Jiguo Wang, Feng Mei, Chuan-Jia Shan, Ji-Bing Liu · Physical Review A · 2025
A distinctive feature of non-Hermitian systems is the skin effect, which has recently attracted widespread attention. Quantum walks provide a powerful platform for investigating the underlying mechanisms of the non-Hermitian skin effect. Additionally, hybrid entanglement generation in quantum walks is recognized as another crucial property. However, experimentally investigating the influence of skin effect on the evolution of entanglement dynamics in the non-Hermitian systems remains a challenge. In this paper, we present a flexible implementation of 20-step discrete-time quantum walks using an optimized time-multiplexed loop configuration. By optimizing the coin parameter, we achieve maximal coin-position entanglement after 20-step quantum walks. Moreover, we experimentally measure the polarization-averaged growth rates and the evolution of coin-position entanglement under specific coin and loss parameters. We observe the asymmetric Lyapunov exponent profiles and the entanglement suppression induced by the non-Hermitian skin effect. Interestingly, this entanglement suppression weakens with increasing coin parameters and enhances with increasing loss parameters and evolution steps. Our results demonstrate the potential of quantum walks as a powerful platform for investigating hybrid entanglement properties and skin effects in non-Hermitian systems.