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Abstract 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. 

A<sc>bstract</sc> We develop an effective quantum electrodynamics for non-Hermitian (NH) Dirac materials interacting with photons. These systems are described by nonspatial symmetry protected Lorentz invariant NH Dirac operators, featuring two velocity parametersυ_Handυ_NHassociated with the standard Hermitian and a masslike anti-Hermitian Dirac operators, respectively. They display linear energy-momentum relation, however, in terms of an effective Fermi velocity$$ {\upsilon}_{\textrm{F}}=\sqrt{\upsilon_{\textrm{H}}^2-{\upsilon}_{\textrm{NH}}^2} $$ ${\upsilon }_F=\sqrt{{\upsilon }_H^2-{\upsilon }_{\mathrm{NH}}^2}$of NH Dirac fermions. Interaction with the fluctuating electromagnetic radiation then gives birth to an emergent Lorentz symmetry in this family of NH Dirac materials in the deep infrared regime, where the system possesses a unique terminal velocityυ_F=c, withcbeing the speed of light. While in two dimensions such a terminal velocity is set by the speed of light in the free space, dynamic screening in three spatial dimensions permits its nonuniversal values. Manifestations of such an emergent spacetime symmetry on the scale dependence of various physical observables in correlated NH Dirac materials are discussed. 

Crystalline graphene heterostructures, namely, Bernal bilayer graphene (BBLG) and rhombohedral trilayer graphene (RTLG), for example, subject to perpendicular electric displacement fields, display a rich confluence of competing orders, resulting in a valley-degenerate, spin-polarized half-metal at moderate doping, and a spin- and valley-polarized (nondegenerate) quarter-metal at lower doping. Here we show that such a quarter-metal can be susceptible toward the nucleation of a unique spin- and valley-polarized superconducting ground state, accommodating odd-parity (dominantly 𝑝 wave in BBLG and 𝑓 wave in RTLG) interlayer Cooper pairs that break the translational symmetry, giving rise to a Kekule (in BBLG) or columnar (in RTLG) pair density wave. Due to the trigonal warping in the normal state, the superconducting ground state produces threefold rotationally symmetric isolated Fermi rings of normal fermions, which can manifest via linear in temperature scaling of the specific heat. We present scaling of the zero-temperature pairing amplitude and the transition temperature of such pair density wave in the presence of trigonally warped disconnected, annular, and simply connected Fermi rings in the normal state, subject to an effective attractive interaction within a mean-field approximation.