Discovery of a new superfluid phase in non-Hermitian quantum systems

A stable "exceptional fermionic superfluid," a new quantum phase that intrinsically hosts singularities known as exceptional points, has been discovered by researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo. Their analysis of a non-Hermitian quantum model with spin depairing shows that dissipation can actively stabilize a superfluid with these singularities embedded within it. The work reveals how lattice geometry dictates the phase's stability and provides a path to realizing it in experiments with ultracold atoms.

The study, published in the journal Physical Review Letters on December 23, 2025, advances the field by showing how EPs can emerge deep inside a strongly interacting phase rather than only near its boundary.

• Discovery of a new superfluid phase in non-Hermitian quantum systems