In recent years a generalization of Hermiticity has been investigated using a complex deformation H = p 2 + x 2 (i x ) of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian, where is a real parameter. These complex Hamiltonians, possessing symmetry (the product of parity and time reversal), can have a real spectrum. We will consider the most simple case: even. In this paper we describe all self-adjoint (Hermitian) and at the same time symmetric operators associated with H = p 2 + x 2 (i x ) . Surprisingly, it turns out that there is a large class of self-adjoint operators associated with H = p 2 + x 2 (i x ) which are not symmetric.
In recent years a generalization of Hermiticity has been investigated using a complex deformation H = p 2 + x 2 (i x ) of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian, where is a real parameter. These complex Hamiltonians, possessing symmetry (the product of parity and time reversal), can have a real spectrum. We will consider the most simple case: even. In this paper we describe all self-adjoint (Hermitian) and at the same time symmetric operators associated with H = p 2 + x 2 (i x ) . Surprisingly, it turns out that there is a large class of self-adjoint operators associated with H = p 2 + x 2 (i x ) which are not symmetric.
This paper proposes to broaden the canonical formulation of quantum mechanics.Ordinarily, one imposes the condition H † = H on the Hamiltonian, where † represents the mathematical operation of complex conjugation and matrix transposition.This conventional Hermiticity condition is sufficient to ensure that the Hamiltonian H has a real spectrum.However, replacing this mathematical condition by the weaker and more physical requirement H ‡ = H, where ‡ represents combined parity reflection and time reversal PT , one obtains new classes of complex Hamiltonians whose spectra are still real and positive.This generalization of Hermiticity is investigated using a complex deformation H = p 2 + x 2 (ix) ǫ of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian, where ǫ is a real parameter.The system exhibits two phases: When ǫ ≥ 0, the energy spectrum of H is real and positive as a consequence of PT symmetry.However, when -1 < ǫ < 0, the spectrum contains an infinite number of complex eigenvalues and a finite number of real, positive eigenvalues because PT symmetry is spontaneously broken.The phase transition that occurs at ǫ = 0 manifests itself in both the quantum-mechanical system and the underlying classical system.Similar qualitative features are exhibited by complex deformations of other standard real Hamiltonians H = p 2 + x 2N (ix) ǫ with N integer and ǫ > -N ; each of these complex Hamiltonians exhibits a phase transition at ǫ = 0.These PT -symmetric theories may be viewed as analytic continuations of conventional theories from real to complex phase space.
This paper proposes to broaden the canonical formulation of quantum mechanics. Ordinarily, one imposes the condition H†=H on the Hamiltonian, where † represents the mathematical operation of complex conjugation and matrix transposition. This conventional Hermiticity condition is sufficient to ensure that the Hamiltonian H has a real spectrum. However, replacing this mathematical condition by the weaker and more physical requirement H‡=H, where ‡ represents combined parity reflection and time reversal 𝒫𝒯, one obtains new classes of complex Hamiltonians whose spectra are still real and positive. This generalization of Hermiticity is investigated using a complex deformation H=p2+x2(ix)ε of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian, where ε is a real parameter. The system exhibits two phases: When ε⩾0, the energy spectrum of H is real and positive as a consequence of 𝒫𝒯 symmetry. However, when −1<ε<0, the spectrum contains an infinite number of complex eigenvalues and a finite number of real, positive eigenvalues because 𝒫𝒯 symmetry is spontaneously broken. The phase transition that occurs at ε=0 manifests itself in both the quantum-mechanical system and the underlying classical system. Similar qualitative features are exhibited by complex deformations of other standard real Hamiltonians H=p2+x2N(ix)ε with N integer and ε>−N; each of these complex Hamiltonians exhibits a phase transition at ε=0. These 𝒫𝒯-symmetric theories may be viewed as analytic continuations of conventional theories from real to complex phase space.
We study certain linear and antilinear symmetry generators and involution operators associated with pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians and show that the theory of pseudo-Hermitian operators provides a simple explanation for the recent results of Bender, Brody and Jones (quant-ph/0208076) on the CPT-symmetry of a class of PT-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. We present a natural extension of these results to the class of diagonalizable pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians H with a discrete spectrum. In particular, we introduce generalized parity (𝒫), time-reversal (𝒯), and charge-conjugation (𝒞) operators and establish the 𝒫𝒯- and 𝒞𝒫𝒯-invariance of H.
In the present paper we study the deformed harmonic oscillator for the non-Hermitian operator [Formula: see text] where λ,θ are real positive parameters, since the parameters α,β,m are for the general case complex. For the case α=1,β=1 and mass m real, we find the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of energy, the coherent states, the time evolution of the operators [Formula: see text] in the Heisenberg picture and the uncertainty relations. In this case the operator ℋ is Hermitian and PT-symmetric. Also for the case m complex α=1,β=1, the operator ℋ is non-Hermitian and no more PT symmetric, but CPT symmetric with real discrete positive spectrum and the CPT symmetry is preserved. In the general case α,β,m complex, for the non-Hermitian operator ℋ, we obtain complex spectrum and for the special values of the complex parameters α,β the spectrum is real discrete and positive and the CPT symmetry is preserved. The general problem of deformed oscillator for non hermitian operators can be applied to the Solid State Physics.
In the theory of quantum mechanics the Hamiltonian H is typically selfadjoint, i.e., H = H *. The self-adjointness ensures that the spectrum of the Hamiltonian, representing the energy spectrum of H , is real but it is not a necessary condition. In the literature on so-called PT -symmetric quantum mechanics (see, e.g., [BB98], [BBM99], [BBJ03], [Ben04b] and [Ben07]), it is believed that self-adjointness is rather a mathematical requirement than a physically established fact. Therefore, it was considered a surprise that operators exist which are not self-adjoint in the given quantum mechanical Hilbert space, but have real spectrum and that – if e.g. complex eigenvalues were present – they occurred only in complex conjugate pairs.
It is shown that if a Hamiltonian H is Hermitian, then there always exists an operator having the following properties: (i) is linear and Hermitian; (ii) commutes with H ; (iii) 2 = 1; (iv) the n th eigenstate of H is also an eigenstate of with eigenvalue (−1) n . Given these properties, it is appropriate to refer to as the parity operator and to say that H has parity symmetry, even though may not refer to spatial reflection. Thus, if the Hamiltonian has the form H = p 2 + V ( x ), where V ( x ) is real (so that H possesses time-reversal symmetry), then it immediately follows that H has symmetry. This shows that symmetry is a generalization of Hermiticity: all Hermitian Hamiltonians of the form H = p 2 + V ( x ) have symmetry, but not all -symmetric Hamiltonians of this form are Hermitian.