Momentum-Space Path Integral Approach to Non-Hermitian Symmetry Breaking.

Abstract

A quantum-classical correspondence for non-Hermitian symmetry breaking has recently been established using coordinate-space path integrals, providing a semiclassical understanding of spectral transitions at the level of individual eigenstates. Here we develop its dual formulation in momentum space by constructing the corresponding trace formula and quantization condition. We show that the real or complex nature of individual eigenvalues is determined by the symmetry properties of the associated semiclassical orbits, as in the coordinate-space path-integral approach. Moreover, we demonstrate that the topology of semiclassical orbits determines the natural formulation of the quantization condition: the coordinate- and momentum-space formulations are equivalent for contractible periodic orbits in phase space, whereas for noncontractible orbits, the quantization condition along the winding direction remains valid, but its dual form must be corrected by a boundary term. In particular, real-space-winding and Brillouin-zone-winding orbits naturally select coordinate- and momentum-space quantization, respectively. As a nontrivial application, we investigate the boundary-induced spectral transition of Bloch oscillations in a finite non-Hermitian lattice, where Bloch-oscillation orbits winding across the Brillouin zone preserve the relevant symmetry and yield real energy levels, whereas boundary-reflected orbits form symmetry-related pairs and give rise to complex-conjugate eigenvalues. Our work completes the quantum-classical correspondence framework for non-Hermitian symmetry breaking, extending its applicability to a broader class of non-Hermitian problems.