Complex Frequency Fingerprint: Basic Concept and Theory

We introduce the complex frequency fingerprint (CFF), an experimentally accessible method for detecting the complex frequency Green's function (GF). Unlike the real frequency GF, where $\omega$ is real, this complex frequency GF is shown to play a necessary role in both non-Hermitian and quantum many-body systems. For non-Hermitian systems, we will prove that our method detects complex energy spectra, eigenstates, and complex frequency GFs throughout the complex plane, providing necessary identification of the non-Hermitian skin effect. For quantum many-body systems, our method reveals quasiparticle peaks across the complex plane and intuitively illustrates interaction effects. This information is difficult to obtain with real frequency detection. Our method paves the way for exploring exotic phenomena in both non-Hermitian and quantum many-body systems, bridging theory and experiment across diverse physical areas.