Yukawa-Lorentz symmetry in non-Hermitian Dirac materials

Lorentz space–time symmetry represents a unifying feature of the fundamental forces, typically manifest at sufficiently high energies, while in quantum materials it emerges in the deep low-energy regime. However, its fate in quantum materials coupled to an environment thus far remained unexplored. We here introduce a general framework of constructing symmetry-protected Lorentz-invariant non-Hermitian (NH) Dirac semimetals (DSMs), realized by invoking masslike anti-Hermitian Dirac operators to its Hermitian counterpart. Such NH DSMs feature purely real or imaginary isotropic linear band dispersion, yielding a vanishing density of states. Dynamic mass orderings in NH DSMs thus take place for strong Hubbard-like local interactions through a quantum phase transition, hosting a non-Fermi liquid, beyond which the system becomes an insulator. We show that depending on the internal Clifford algebra between the NH Dirac operator and candidate mass order-parameter, the resulting quantum-critical fluid either remains coupled with the environment or recovers full Hermiticity by decoupling from the bath, while always enjoying an emergent Yukawa-Lorentz symmetry in terms of a unique terminal velocity. We showcase the competition between such mass orderings, their hallmarks on quasi-particle spectra in the ordered phases, and the relevance of our findings for correlated designer NH Dirac materials. Lorentz symmetry plays a fundamental role in classical to quantum electrodynamics, as well as in quantum chromodynamics, which is typically realized at sufficiently high energies and often exclusively in closed or isolated quantum systems. Here, the authors show that such a fundamental space–time symmetry can also be manifest as an emergent symmetry even in open Dirac systems, when they interact with the surrounding environment.