Experimental demonstration of coherence flow in PT- and anti-PT-symmetric systems

Non-Hermitian parity-time ( $${{{{{{{\mathcal{P}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{\mathcal{T}}}}}}}}$$ ) and anti-parity-time ( $${{{{{{{\mathcal{APT}}}}}}}}$$ )-symmetric systems exhibit novel quantum properties and have attracted increasing interest. Although many counterintuitive phenomena in $${{{{{{{\mathcal{P}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{\mathcal{T}}}}}}}}$$ - and $${{{{{{{\mathcal{APT}}}}}}}}$$ -symmetric systems were previously studied, coherence flow has been rarely investigated. Here, we experimentally demonstrate single-qubit coherence flow in $${{{{{{{\mathcal{P}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{\mathcal{T}}}}}}}}$$ - and $${{{{{{{\mathcal{APT}}}}}}}}$$ -symmetric systems using an optical setup. In the symmetry unbroken regime, we observe different periodic oscillations of coherence. Particularly, we observe two complete coherence backflows in one period in the $${{{{{{{\mathcal{P}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{\mathcal{T}}}}}}}}$$ -symmetric system, while only one backflow in the $${{{{{{{\mathcal{APT}}}}}}}}$$ -symmetric system. Moreover, in the symmetry broken regime, we observe the phenomenon of stable value of coherence flow. We derive the analytic proofs of these phenomena and show that most experimental data agree with theoretical results within one standard deviation. This work opens avenues for future study on the dynamics of coherence in $${{{{{{{\mathcal{P}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{\mathcal{T}}}}}}}}$$ - and $${{{{{{{\mathcal{APT}}}}}}}}$$ -symmetric systems. The gain and loss inherent in non-Hermitian quantum systems can modify the flow of coherence between subsystems, which may be lost or recovered from the environment. Here, the coherence flow in PT-symmetric and anti-PT symmetric systems is investigated experimentally and theoretically.