Non-Hermitian topology: From fundamental physics to functional devices

Non-Hermitian topology has emerged as a transformative paradigm, revealing phenomena that have no Hermitian counterparts, namely exceptional points, the non-Hermitian skin effect, and complex spectral topology that defies conventional bulk–boundary correspondence. These breakthroughs have enabled diverse platforms: in electrical circuits, exceptional points and skin modes enable robust wireless power transfer and disorder-immune signal confinement; in acoustic systems, non-Hermitian losses give rise to topological monomodes and disorder-driven phases; and in photonic platforms, they enable multiplexed biosensing and ultra-sensitive optomechanical detection. We discuss how exceptional-point sensing promises sensitivity gains of multiple orders of magnitude and how the skin effect offers new strategies for chip-scale signal routing, medical diagnostics, and robotic manipulation. We conclude by identifying key challenges and opportunities, particularly quantum many-body physics and nonlinear dynamics, that we believe will shape the next frontier.