PT-symmetric Hamiltonians Research Articles

Non-Hermitian neutrino oscillations in matter with PT symmetric Hamiltonians

We introduce and develop a novel approach to extend the ordinary two-flavor neutrino oscillation formalism in matter using a non-Hermitian PT symmetric effective Hamiltonian. The condition of PT symmetry is weaker and less mathematical than that of hermicity, but more physical, and such an extension of the formalism can give rise to sub-leading effects in neutrino flavor transitions similar to the effects by so-called non-standard neutrino interactions. We derive the necessary conditions for the spectrum of the effective Hamiltonian to be real as well as the mappings between the fundamental and effective parameters. We find that the real spectrum of the effective Hamiltonian will depend on all new fundamental parameters introduced in the non-Hermitian PT symmetric extension of the usual neutrino oscillation formalism and that either i) the spectrum is exact and the effective leptonic mixing must always be maximal or ii) the spectrum is approximate and all new fundamental parameters must be small.

Three PT-symmetric Hamiltonians with completely different spectra

We discuss three Hamiltonians, each with a central-field part H0 and a PT-symmetric perturbation igz. When H0 is the isotropic Harmonic oscillator the spectrum is real for all g because H is isospectral to H0+g2/2. When H0 is the Hydrogen atom then infinitely many eigenvalues are complex for all g. If the potential in H0 is linear in the radial variable r then the spectrum of H exhibits real eigenvalues for 0<g<gc and a PT phase transition at gc.

Scattering by infinitely rising one-dimensional potentials

Infinitely rising one-dimensional potentials constitute impenetrable barriers which reflect totally any incident wave. However, the scattering by such kind of potentials is not structureless: resonances may occur for certain values of the energy. Here we consider the problem of scattering by the members of a family of potentials Va(x)=−sgn(x)|x|a, where sgn represents the sign function and a is a positive rational number. The scattering function and the phase shifts are obtained from global solutions of the Schrödinger equation. For the determination of the Gamow states, associated to resonances, we exploit their close relation with the eigenvalues of the PT-symmetric Hamiltonians with potentials VaPT(x)=−isgn(x)|x|a. Calculation of the time delay in the scattering at real energies is used to characterize the resonances. As an additional result, the breakdown of the PT-symmetry of the family of potentials VaPT for a<3 may be conjectured.

PT-symmetric quantum theory

The average quantum physicist on the street would say that a quantum-mechanical Hamiltonian must be Dirac Hermitian (invariant under combined matrix transposition and complex conjugation) in order to guarantee that the energy eigenvalues are real and that time evolution is unitary. However, the Hamiltonian H = p2 + ix3, which is obviously not Dirac Hermitian, has a positive real discrete spectrum and generates unitary time evolution, and thus it defines a fully consistent and physical quantum theory. Evidently, the axiom of Dirac Hermiticity is too restrictive. While H = p2 + ix3 is not Dirac Hermitian, it is PT symmetric; that is, invariant under combined parity P (space reflection) and time reversal T. The quantum mechanics defined by a PT-symmetric Hamiltonian is a complex generalization of ordinary quantum mechanics. When quantum mechanics is extended into the complex domain, new kinds of theories having strange and remarkable properties emerge. In the past few years, some of these properties have been verified in laboratory experiments. A particularly interesting PT-symmetric Hamiltonian is H = p2 − x4, which contains an upside-down potential. This potential is discussed in detail, and it is explained in intuitive as well as in rigorous terms why the energy levels of this potential are real, positive, and discrete. Applications of PT-symmetry in quantum field theory are also discussed.

PT symmetric Floquet topological phase

In this paper, we study the existence of Floquet topological insulators for PT symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. We consider an array of waveguide in 1D with periodically changing non-Hermitian potential and predict the existence of Floquet topological insulators in the system. We also extend the concept of Floquet topological phase to a two dimensional non-Hermitian system.

Non-Hermitian PT Symmetric Hamiltonian with Position-Dependent Masses: Associated Schrödinger Equation and Finite-Norm Solutions

A one-dimensional non-Hermitian PT symmetric Hamiltonian, characterized by position-dependent masses, defines a Schrödinger equation in terms of a field Ψ(x, t). Based on an exact classical field theory, the necessity of an extra field Φ(x, t) (which satisfies a conjugate equation and in general different is from Ψ∗(x, t)) is shown. Simple applications are investigated by solving analytically both equations and it is shown that the effective masses proposed lead to a probability density characterized by a finite norm, typical of the physical situation that occurs with the concentration of electrons in some semiconductor heterojunctions. An extension to a three-dimensional space is also presented.

Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with unitary and antiunitary symmetries

We analyse several non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with antiunitary symmetry from the point of view of their point-group symmetry. It enables us to predict the degeneracy of the energy levels and to reduce the dimension of the matrices necessary for the diagonalization of the Hamiltonian in a given basis set. We can also classify the solutions according to the irreducible representations of the point group and thus analyse their properties separately. One of the main results of this paper is that some PT-symmetric Hamiltonians with point-group symmetry C2v exhibit complex eigenvalues for all values of a potential parameter. In such cases the PT phase transition takes place at the trivial Hermitian limit which suggests that the phenomenon is not robust. Point-group symmetry enables us to explain such anomalous behaviour and to choose a suitable antiunitary operator for the PT symmetry.

PT symmetry via electromagnetically induced transparency

We propose a scheme to realize parity-time (PT) symmetry via electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The system we consider is an ensemble of cold four-level atoms with an EIT core. We show that the cross-phase modulation contributed by an assisted field, the optical lattice potential provided by a far-detuned laser field, and the optical gain resulted from an incoherent pumping can be used to construct a PT-symmetric complex optical potential for probe field propagation in a controllable way. Comparing with previous study, the present scheme uses only a single atomic species and hence is easy for the physical realization of PT-symmetric Hamiltonian via atomic coherence.

Spectral and transport properties of time-periodicPT-symmetric tight-binding lattices

We investigate the spectral properties and dynamical features of a time-periodic PT-symmetric Hamiltonian on a one-dimensional tight-binding lattice. It is shown that a high-frequency modulation can drive the system under a transition between the broken-PT and the unbroken-PT phases. The time-periodic modulation in the unbroken-PT regime results in a significant broadening of the quasi-energy spectrum, leading to a hyper-ballistic transport regime. Also, near the PT-symmetry breaking the dispersion curve of the lattice band becomes linear, with a strong reduction of quantum wave packet spreading.

Investigation of PT-symmetric Hamiltonian Systems from an Alternative Point of View

Two non-Hermitian PT-symmetric Hamiltonian systems are reconsidered by means of the algebraic method which was originally proposed for the pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian systems rather than for the PT-symmetric ones. Compared with the way converting a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian to its Hermitian counterpart, this method has the merit that keeps the Hilbert space of the non-Hermitian PT-symmetric Hamiltonian unchanged. In order to give the positive definite inner product for the PT-symmetric systems, a new operator V, instead of C, can be introduced. The operator V has the similar function to the operator C adopted normally in the PT-symmetric quantum mechanics, however, it can be constructed, as an advantage, directly in terms of Hamiltonians. The spectra of the two non-Hermitian PT-symmetric systems are obtained, which coincide with that given in literature, and in particular, the Hilbert spaces associated with positive definite inner products are worked out.

Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin analysis ofPT-symmetric Sturm-Liouville problems

In a previous paper it was shown that a one-turning-point WKB approximation gives an accurate picture of the spectrum of certain non-Hermitian PT-symmetric Hamiltonians on a finite interval with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Potentials to which this analysis applies include the linear potential $V=igx$ and the sinusoidal potential $V=ig\sin(\alpha x)$. However, the one-turning-point analysis fails to give the full structure of the spectrum for the cubic potential $V=igx^3$, and in particular it fails to reproduce the critical points at which two real eigenvalues merge and become a complex-conjugate pair. The present paper extends the method to cases where the WKB path goes through a {\it pair} of turning points. The extended method gives an extremely accurate approximation to the spectrum of $V=igx^3$, and more generally it works for potentials of the form $V=igx^{2N+1}$. When applied to potentials with half-integral powers of $x$, the method again works well for one sign of the coupling, namely that for which the turning points lie on the first sheet in the lower-half plane.

The Horizons of Observability in PT-symmetric Four-site Quantum Lattices

One of the key merits of PT-symmetric (i.e., parity times time reversal symmetric) quantum Hamiltonians H lies in the existence of a horizon of the stability of the system. Mathematically speaking, this horizon is formed by the boundary of the domain D(H) ⊂ RD of the (real) coupling strengths for which the spectrum of energies is real and non-degenerate, i.e., in principle, observable. It is shown here that even in the elementary circular four-site quantum lattices with D = 2 or D = 3 the domain of hidden Hermiticity D(H) proves multiply connected, i.e., topologically nontrivial.

Robust and fragilePT-symmetric phases in a tight-binding chain

We study the phase-diagram of a parity and time-reversal (PT) symmetric tight-binding chain with $N$ sites and hopping energy $J$, in the presence of two impurities with imaginary potentials $\pm i\gamma$ located at arbitrary (P-symmetric) positions $(m, \bar{m}=N+1-m)$ on the chain where $m\leq N/2$. We find that except in the two special cases where impurities are either the farthest or the closest, the PT-symmetric region - defined as the region in which all energy eigenvalues are real - is algebraically fragile. We analytically and numerically obtain the critical impurity potential $\gamma_{PT}$ and show that $\gamma_{PT}\propto 1/N\rightarrow 0$ as $N\rightarrow\infty$ except in the two special cases. When the PT symmetry is spontaneously broken, we find that the maximum number of complex eigenvalues is given by $2m$. When the two impurities are the closest, we show that the critical impurity strength $\gamma_{PT}$ in the limit $N\rightarrow\infty$ approaches $J$ ($J/2$) provided that $N$ is even (odd). For an even $N$ the PT symmetry is maximally broken whereas for an odd $N$, it is sequentially broken. Our results show that the phase-diagram of a PT-symmetric tight-binding chain is extremely rich and that, in the continuum limit, this model may give rise to new PT-symmetric Hamiltonians.

Order-dependent mappings: Strong-coupling behavior from weak-coupling expansions in non-Hermitian theories

A long time ago, it has been conjectured that a Hamiltonian with a potential of the form x2+ivx3, v real, has a real spectrum. This conjecture has been generalized to a class of the so-called PT symmetric Hamiltonians and some proofs have been given. Here, we show by numerical investigation that the divergent perturbation series can be summed efficiently by an order-dependent mapping (ODM) in the whole complex plane of the coupling parameter v2, and that some information about the location of level-crossing singularities can be obtained in this way. Furthermore, we discuss to which accuracy the strong-coupling limit can be obtained from the initially weak-coupling perturbative expansion, by the ODM summation method. The basic idea of the ODM summation method is the notion of order-dependent “local” disk of convergence and analytic continuation by an ODM of the domain of analyticity augmented by the local disk of convergence onto a circle. In the limit of vanishing local radius of convergence, which is the limit of high transformation order, convergence is demonstrated both by numerical evidence as well as by analytic estimates.

PT Symmetric Schrödinger Operators: Reality of the Perturbed Eigenvalues

We prove the reality of the perturbed eigenvalues of some PT symmetric Hamiltonians of physical interest by means of stability methods. In particular we study 2-dimensional generalized harmonic oscillators with polynomial perturbation and the one-dimensional $x^2(ix)^{\epsilon}$ for $-1<\epsilon<0$.

Complete set of inner products for a discrete PT-symmetric square-well Hamiltonian

A discrete N-point Runge–Kutta version H(N)(λ) of one of the simplest non-Hermitian square-well Hamiltonians with real spectrum is studied. Its possible Hermitizations mediated by nontrivial (often called “non-Dirac”) metrics Θ≠I are considered as a source of nonequivalent standard probabilistic interpretations of this quantum model. A complete set of these alternative, multiparametric metrics Θ=Θ(a,b,…)(N)(λ) defining all the eligible Hamiltonian-dependent representations of the physical Hilbert space of states is constructed, in closed form, for any coupling λ∊(−1,1) and for any matrix dimension N.

Entanglement in non-Hermitian quantum theory

Entanglement is one of the key features of quantum world that has no classical counterpart. This arises due to the linear superposition principle and the tensor product structure of the Hilbert space when we deal with multiparticle systems. In this paper, we will introduce the notion of entanglement for quantum systems that are governed by non-Hermitian yet PT-symmetric Hamiltonians. We will show that maximally entangled states in usual quantum theory behave like non-maximally entangled states in PT-symmetric quantum theory. Furthermore, we will show how to create entanglement between two PT qubits using non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and discuss the entangling capability of such interaction Hamiltonians that are non-Hermitian in nature.

Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with a real spectrum and their physical applications

We present an evaluation of some recent attempts at understanding the role of pseudo-Hermitian and PT-symmetric Hamiltonians in modeling unitary quantum systems and elaborate on a particular physical phenomenon whose discovery originated in the study of complex scattering potentials.

Adding a complex shift to HVPT

A complex coordinate shift is incorporated in renormalized hypervirial perturbation theory. Test calculations on harmonic oscillators with cubic perturbations show that the resulting method produces accurate numerical results for the real energies of PT symmetric Hamiltonians with complex potentials and for the complex resonance energies of Hamiltonians with real potentials.

Modal analysis and coupling in metal-insulator-metal waveguides

This paper shows how to analyze plasmonic metal-insulator-metal waveguides using the full modal structure of these guides. The analysis applies to all frequencies, particularly including the near infrared and visible spectrum, and to a wide range of sizes, including nanometallic structures. We use the approach here specifically to analyze waveguide junctions. We show that the full modal structure of the metal-insulator-metal MIM waveguides—which consists of real and complex discrete eigenvalue spectra, as well as the continuous spectrum—forms a complete basis set. We provide the derivation of these modes using the techniques developed for Sturm-Liouville and generalized eigenvalue equations. We demonstrate the need to include all parts of the spectrum to have a complete set of basis vectors to describe scattering within MIM waveguides with the mode-matching technique. We numerically compare the mode-matching formulation with finite-difference frequency-domain analysis and find very good agreement between the two for modal scattering at symmetric MIM waveguide junctions. We touch upon the similarities between the underlying mathematical structure of the MIM waveguide and the PT symmetric quantum-mechanical pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians. The rich set of modes that the MIM waveguide supports forms a canonical example against which other more complicated geometries can be compared. Our work here encompasses the microwave results but extends also to waveguides with real metals even at infrared and optical frequencies.