We present a simple derivation of the formula for the Hamiltonian operator(s) that achieve the fastest possible unitary evolution between given initial and final states. We discuss how this formula is modified in pseudo-Hermitian quantum mechanics and provide an explicit expression for the most general optimal-speed quasi-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Our approach allows for an explicit description of the metric (inner product) dependence of the lower bound on the travel time and the universality (metric independence) of the upper bound on the speed of unitary evolutions.
We present a simple derivation of the formula for the Hamiltonian operator(s) that achieve the fastest possible unitary evolution between given initial and final states. We discuss how this formula is modified in pseudo-Hermitian quantum mechanics and provide an explicit expression for the most general optimal-speed quasi-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Our approach allows for an explicit description of the metric (inner product) dependence of the lower bound on the travel time and the universality (metric independence) of the upper bound on the speed of unitary evolutions.
If an initial state ∣ψI⟩ and a final state ∣ψF⟩ are given, then there exist many Hamiltonians under whose action ∣ψI⟩ evolves into ∣ψF⟩ . In this case, the problem of the transition of ∣ψI⟩ to ∣ψF⟩ in the least time is very interesting. It was previously shown that for a Hermitian Hamiltonian, there is an optimum evolution time if ∣ψI⟩ and ∣ψF⟩ are orthogonal. But for a PT -symmetric Hamiltonian, this time can be arbitrarily small, which seems amazing. We discuss the optimum time evolution for pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians and obtain a lower bound for the evolution time under the condition that the Hamiltonian is bounded. The optimum evolution time can be attained in the case where two quantum states are orthogonal with respect to some inner product. The results in the Hermitian and pseudo-Hermitian cases coincide if the evolution is unitary with some well-defined inner product. We also analyze two previously studied examples and find that they are consistent with our theory. In addition, we give some explanations of our results with two examples.
We investigate the dynamics of quantum systems whose evolution is governed by linear generators of fixed unitarily invariant norm. For this broad class of evolutions, we derive a universal time-optimal generator of the dynamics converting one given state into another. It provides a time-optimal non-Hermitian Hamiltonian for pure state conversion. We then use this general result to derive quantum speed limits for mixed-state evolutions governed by Lindbladians and non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. Our findings follow from the geometric properties of the group GL(n,C), in particular the geodesic distance. The derived bounds hold for an arbitrary system size n, depend only on the norms of the evolution generator and the initial and final states, and do not require performing any time-averaging.
Abstract The Hamiltonian of a conventional quantum system is Hermitian, which ensures real spectra of the Hamiltonian and unitary evolution of the system. However, real spectra are just the necessary conditions for a Hamiltonian to be Hermitian. In this paper, we discuss the metric operators for pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian which is similar to its adjoint. We first present some properties of the metric operators for pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians and obtain a sufficient and necessary condition for an invertible operator to be a metric operator for a given pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian. When the pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian has real spectra, we provide a new method such that any given metric operator can be transformed into the same positive-definite one and the new inner product with respect to the positive-definite metric operator is well defined. Finally, we illustrate the results obtained with an example.
We propose a scheme to deal with certain time-dependent non-Hermitian Hamiltonian operators H(t) that generate a real phase in their time-evolution. This involves the use of invariant operators IPH(t) that are pseudo-Hermitian with respect to the time-dependent metric operator and which implies that the dynamics is governed by unitary time evolution. Furthermore, H(t) is not generally quasi-Hermitian and does not define an observable of the system but IPH(t) obeys a quasi-hermiticity transformation as in the completely time-independent Hamiltonian systems case. The harmonic oscillator with a time-dependent frequency under the action of a complex time-dependent linear potential is considered as an illustrative example.
Abstract We present a comparative analysis of two different constructions of optimal-speed quantum Hamiltonian evolutions on the Bloch sphere. In the first approach (Mostafazadeh’s approach), the evolution is specified by a traceless stationary Hermitian Hamiltonian and occurs between two arbitrary qubit states by maximizing the energy uncertainty. In the second approach (Bender’s approach), instead, the evolution is characterized by a stationary Hermitian Hamiltonian which is not traceless and occurs between an initial qubit state on the north pole and an arbitrary final qubit state. In this second approach, the evolution occurs by minimizing the evolution time subject to the constraint that the difference between the largest and the smallest eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian is kept fixed. For both approaches we calculate explicitly the optimal Hamiltonian, the optimal unitary evolution operator and, finally, the optimal magnetic field configuration. Furthermore, we show in a clear way that Mostafazadeh’s and Bender’s approaches are equivalent when we extend Mostafazadeh’s approach to Hamiltonians with nonzero trace and, at the same time, focus on an initial quantum state placed on the north pole of the Bloch sphere. Finally, we demonstrate in both scenarios that the optimal unitary evolution operator is a rotation about an axis that is orthogonal to the unit Bloch vectors that correspond to the initial and final qubit states.
A diagonalizable non-Hermitian Hamiltonian having a real spectrum may be used to define a unitary quantum system, if one modifies the inner product of the Hilbert space properly. We give a comprehensive and essentially self-contained review of the basic ideas and techniques responsible for the recent developments in this subject. We provide a critical assessment of the role of the geometry of the Hilbert space in conventional quantum mechanics to reveal the basic physical principle motivating our study. We then offer a survey of the necessary mathematical tools, present their utility in establishing a lucid and precise formulation of a unitary quantum theory based on a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, and elaborate on a number of relevant issues of fundamental importance. In particular, we discuss the role of the antilinear symmetries such as [Formula: see text], the true meaning and significance of the so-called charge operators [Formula: see text] and the [Formula: see text]-inner products, the nature of the physical observables, the equivalent description of such models using ordinary Hermitian quantum mechanics, the pertaining duality between local-non-Hermitian versus nonlocal-Hermitian descriptions of their dynamics, the corresponding classical systems, the pseudo-Hermitian canonical quantization scheme, various methods of calculating the (pseudo-) metric operators, subtleties of dealing with time-dependent quasi-Hermitian Hamiltonians and the path-integral formulation of the theory, and the structure of the state space and its ramifications for the quantum Brachistochrone problem. We also explore some concrete physical applications and manifestations of the abstract concepts and tools that have been developed in the course of this investigation. These include applications in nuclear physics, condensed matter physics, relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, quantum cosmology, electromagnetic wave propagation, open quantum systems, magnetohydrodynamics, quantum chaos and biophysics.