Observation of Metal-Insulator and Spectral Phase Transitions in Aubry-André-Harper Models

Non-Hermitian extensions of the Aubry-André-Harper (AAH) model reveal a rich variety of phase transitions arising from the interplay of quasiperiodicity and non-Hermiticity. Despite their theoretical significance, experimental explorations remain challenging due to complexities in realizing controlled non-Hermiticity. Here, we present the first experimental realization of the unitary almost-Mathieu operator (UAMO) which simulates the AAH model by employing single-photon quantum walks. Through precise control of quasiperiodicity, we systematically explore the phase diagram displaying a phase transition between localized and delocalized regimes in the Hermitian limit. Subsequently, by introducing non-reciprocal hopping, we experimentally probe the parity-time (PT) symmetry-breaking transition that is characterized by the emergence of complex quasienergies. Moreover, we identify a novel spectral transition exclusive to discrete-time settings, where all quasienergies become purely imaginary. Both transitions are connected to changes in the spectral winding number, demonstrating their topological origins. These results clarify the interplay between localization, symmetry breaking, and topology in non-Hermitian quasicrystals, paving the way for future exploration of synthetic quantum matter.