We address the conditions required for a Z topological classification in the most general form of the non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model. Any chirally-symmetric SSH model will possess a "conjugated-pseudo-Hermiticity" which we show is responsible for a quantized "complex" Berry phase. Consequently, we provide the first example where the complex Berry phase of a band is used as a quantized invariant to predict the existence of gapless edge modes in a non-Hermitian model. The chirally-broken, P T -symmetric model is studied; we suggest an explanation for why the topological invariant is a global property of the Hamiltonian. A geometrical picture is provided by examining eigenvector evolution on the Bloch sphere. We justify our analysis numerically and discuss relevant applications.

We present an accurate ab-initio tight-binding hamiltonian for the transition-metal dichalcogenides, MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, WSe2, with a minimal basis (the d orbitals for the metal atoms and p orbitals for the chalcogen atoms) based on a transformation of the Kohn-Sham density function theory (DFT) hamiltonian to a basis of maximally localized Wannier functions (MLWF). The truncated tight-binding hamiltonian (TBH), with only on-site, first and partial second neighbor interactions, including spin-orbit coupling, provides a simple physical picture and the symmetry of the main band-structure features. Interlayer interactions between adjacent layers are modeled by transferable hopping terms between the chalcogen p orbitals. The full-range tight-binding hamiltonian (FTBH) can be reduced to hybrid-orbital k · p effective hamiltonians near the band extrema that captures important low-energy excitations. These ab-initio hamiltonians can serve as the starting point for applications to interacting many-body physics including optical transitions and Berry curvature of bands, of which we give some examples.

We uncover a topological classification applicable to open fermionic systems governed by a general class of Lindblad master equations. These 'quadratic Lindbladians' can be captured by a non-Hermitian single-particle matrix which describes internal dynamics as well as system-environment coupling. We show that this matrix must belong to one of ten non-Hermitian Bernard-LeClair symmetry classes which reduce to the Altland-Zirnbauer classes in the closed limit. The Lindblad spectrum admits a topological classification, which we show results in gapless edge excitations with finite lifetimes. Unlike previous studies of purely Hamiltonian or purely dissipative evolution, these topological edge modes are unconnected to the form of the steady state. We provide one-dimensional examples where the addition of dissipators can either preserve or destroy the closed classification of a model, highlighting the sensitivity of topological properties to details of the system-environment coupling.

The Bernard-LeClair (BL) symmetry classes generalize the ten-fold way classes in the absence of Hermiticity. Within the BL scheme, time-reversal and particle-hole come in two flavors, and "pseudo-Hermiticity" generalizes Hermiticity. We propose that these symmetries are relevant for the topological classification of non-Hermitian single-particle Hamiltonians and Hermitian bosonic Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) models. We show that the spectrum of any Hermitian bosonic BdG Hamiltonian is found by solving for the eigenvalues of a non-Hermitian matrix which belongs to one of the BL classes. We therefore suggest that bosonic BdG Hamiltonians inherit the topological properties of a non-Hermitian symmetry class and explore the consequences by studying symmetryprotected edge instabilities in a simple 1D system.

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