Non-Hermitian $\mathrm{sl}(3, \mathbb{C})$ three-mode couplers

Abstract

Photonic systems with exceptional points, where eigenvalues and corresponding eigenstates coalesce, have attracted interest due to their topological features and enhanced sensitivity to external perturbations. Non-Hermitian mode-coupling matrices provide a tractable analytic framework to model gain, loss, and chirality across optical, electronic, and mechanical platforms without the complexity of full open-system dynamics. Exceptional points define their spectral topology, and enable applications in mode control, amplification, and sensing. Yet $N$-mode couplers, the minimal setting for $N$th-order exceptional points, are often studied in specific designs that overlook their algebraic structure. We introduce a general $\mathrm{sl}(N,\mathbb{C})$ framework for arbitrary $N$-mode couplers in classical and quantum regimes, and develop it explicitly for $N=3$. This case admits algebraic diagonalization, where a propagation-dependent gauge aligns local and dynamical spectra and reveals the geometric phase connecting adiabatic and exact propagation. An exact Wei--Norman propagator captures the full dynamics and makes crossing exceptional points explicit. Our framework enables classification of coupler families. We study the family spanning $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric and non-Hermitian cyclic couplers, where two exceptional points of order three lie within a continuum of exceptional points of order two, ruling out pure encircling. As an application, we study these exceptional points for a lossy three-leg beam splitter and reveal its propagation dynamics as a function of initial states, such as Fock and NOON states. Our approach provides a systematic route to analyze non-Hermitian mode couplers and guide design in classical and quantum platforms.