Simple harmonic oscillation in a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain at the exceptional point

The balance of gain and loss in an open system may maintain certain Hermitian dynamical behaviors which can be hardly observed in a popular Hermitian system. In this paper, we systematically study a 1D PT-symmetry non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model with open boundary condition based on an exact approximate solution. We show that the long-wavelength standing-wave modes can be achieved within the linear dispersion region when the system is tuned at the exceptional point. The whole Hilbert space can be decomposed into two quasi-Hermitian subspaces, which are consisted of positive and negative energy levels, respectively. Within each subspace, the system maintains all the features of a Hermitian system. We construct a coherentlike state in a subspace and find that it exhibits perfect simple harmonic motion (SHM). In contrast to a canonical coherent state, the shape of the wave packet deforms periodically rather than entirely by translation, and the amplitude of the SHM is not determined by the initial condition but by the shape of the wave packet. Our result indicates that novel Hermitian dynamics can be realized by a non-Hermitian system.