Realization and Topological Properties of Third-Order Exceptional Lines Embedded in Exceptional Surfaces

Abstract: As the counterpart of Hermitian nodal structures, the geometry formed by exceptional points (EPs), such as exceptional lines (ELs), entails intriguing spectral topology. We report the experimental realization of order-3 exceptional lines (EL3) that are entirely embedded in order-2 exceptional surfaces (ES2) in a three-dimensional periodic synthetic momentum space. The EL3 and the concomitant ES2, together with the topology of the underlying space, prohibit the evaluation of their topology in the eigenvalue manifold by prevailing topological characterization methods. We resolve this issue by defining a winding number that associates with the resultants of the Hamiltonian. This resultant winding number detects EL3 but ignores the ES2, allowing the diagnosis of the topological currents carried by the EL3, which enables the prediction of their evolution under perturbations. Our results exemplify unprecedented topology of higher-order exceptional geometries and may inspire new non-Hermitian topological applications.