Scattering theory with localized non-Hermiticities

Abstract

In the context of the recent interest in solvable models of scattering mediated by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians (cf. H. F. Jones, Phys. Rev. D 76, 125003 (2007)) we show that the well-known variability of the ad hoc choice of the metric $\ensuremath{\Theta}$ which defines the physical Hilbert space of states can help us to clarify several apparent paradoxes. We argue that with a suitable $\ensuremath{\Theta}$, a fully plausible physical picture of the scattering can be recovered. Quantitatively, our new recipe is illustrated on an exactly solvable toy model.