Linking DC transport properties and entanglement negativity in non-Hermitian superlattices

Abstract

Abstract We explore how non-Hermitian effects including gain–loss imbalance, asymmetric hopping, and complex potentials in one-dimensional superlattices influence both electrical transport properties and quantum correlations. Focusing on a multiband tetramerized superlattice, we study the impact of distinct gain–loss configurations on electrical transport coefficients such as the Drude weight, alongside mixed-state quantum entanglement measures. Using a class of generalized Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) Hamiltonians with adjustable sublattice asymmetry and non-reciprocity, we systematically evaluate linear response transport and entanglement characteristics across parameter regimes, including those exhibiting PT -symmetry breaking. Our findings demonstrate how transport and entanglement provide complementary insights into the non-Hermitian topological phases, and identify experimentally measurable signatures in photonic and ultracold-atom platforms. These results open pathways for probing non-Hermitian quantum phases in engineered lattice systems.