The non-Hermitian quadratic oscillator known as the Swanson oscillator is one of the popular PT -symmetric model systems. Here a full classical description of its dynamics is derived using recently developed metriplectic flow equations, which combine the classical symplectic flow for Hermitian systems with a dissipative metric flow for the anti-Hermitian part. Closed form expressions for the metric and phase-space trajectories are presented which are found to be periodic in time. Since the Hamiltonian is only quadratic the classical dynamics exactly describe the quantum dynamics of Gaussian wave packets. It is shown that the classical metric and trajectories as well as the quantum wave functions can diverge in finite time even though the PT -symmetry is unbroken, i.e., the eigenvalues are purely real.
The non-Hermitian quadratic oscillator known as the Swanson oscillator is one of the popular PT -symmetric model systems. Here a full classical description of its dynamics is derived using recently developed metriplectic flow equations, which combine the classical symplectic flow for Hermitian systems with a dissipative metric flow for the anti-Hermitian part. Closed form expressions for the metric and phase-space trajectories are presented which are found to be periodic in time. Since the Hamiltonian is only quadratic the classical dynamics exactly describe the quantum dynamics of Gaussian wave packets. It is shown that the classical metric and trajectories as well as the quantum wave functions can diverge in finite time even though the PT -symmetry is unbroken, i.e., the eigenvalues are purely real.
In this thesis, we study semiclassical phase-space methods for quantum evolution in Hermitian and non-Hermitian systems. We first present the dynamics of Gaussian wave packets under non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and interpret them as a classical dynamics for complex Hamiltonians. We use these to derive exact dynamics for wave packets in the quadratic Swanson oscillator. We show that in the case of unbroken PT-symmetry there can be periodic divergences in this system and relate this to the fact that any operator mapping the system to a Hermitian counterpart is unbounded. We apply the semiclassical wave-packet dynamics to two further anharmonic example systems: a PT-symmetric wave guide, a version of which we propose as a filtering device for optical beams, and a non-Hermitian single-band tight-binding model, for which we use classical equations of motion to model both narrowly and widely distributed initial states. We further develop an exact quantum propagator for non-Hermitian dynamics using lattices of wave packets, whose evolution is governed by the semiclassical equations of motion. We demonstrate that this accurately reproduces quantum dynamics compared to the split operator method. Finally we study a Hermitian two-mode many-particle model for bosonic atom-molecule conversion, for which the classical phase-space structure is an orbifold. We show that standard semiclassical tools may be applied to recover features such as the dynamics, spectrum and density of states of the many-particle system.
We investigate the classical limit of non-Hermitian quantum dynamics arising from a coherent state approximation, and show that the resulting classical phase space dynamics can be described by generalised "canonical" equations of motion, for both conservative and dissipative motion. The dynamical equations combine a symplectic flow associated with the Hermitian part of the Hamiltonian with a metric gradient flow associated with the anti-Hermitian part of the Hamiltonian. We derive this structure of the classical limit of quantum systems in the case of a Euclidean phase space geometry. As an example we show that the classical dynamics of a damped and driven oscillator can be linked to a non-Hermitian quantum system, and investigate the quantum classical correspondence. Furthermore, we present an example of an angular momentum system whose classical phase space is spherical and show that the generalised canonical structure persists for this nontrivial phase space geometry.
A class of non-Hermitian quadratic su (2) Hamiltonians having an anti-linear symmetry is constructed. This is achieved by analysing the possible symmetries of such systems in terms of automorphisms of the algebra. In fact, different realizations for this type of symmetry are obtained, including the natural occurrence of charge conjugation together with parity and time reversal. Once specified, the underlying anti-linear symmetry of the Hamiltonian, the former, if unbroken, leads to a purely real spectrum and the latter can be mapped to a Hermitian counterpart by, amongst other possibilities, a similarity transformation. Here, Lie-algebraic methods which were used to investigate the generalized Swanson Hamiltonian ( Assis and Fring 2009 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor . 42 015203 ) are employed to identify the class of quadratic Hamiltonians that allow for such a mapping to the Hermitian counterpart. Whereas for the linear su (2) system, every Hamiltonian of this type can be mapped to a Hermitian counterpart by a transformation which is itself an exponential of a linear combination of su (2) generators, the situation is more complicated for quadratic Hamiltonians. Therefore, the possibility of more elaborate similarity transformations, including quadratic exponents, is also explored in detail. The existence of finite-dimensional representations for the su (2) Hamiltonian, as opposed to the su (1, 1) studied before, allows for comparison with explicit diagonalization results for finite matrices. Finally, the similarity transformations constructed are compared with the analogue of Swanson's method for exact diagonalization of the problem, establishing a simple relation between both approaches.
This thesis is centred around the role of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians in Physics both at the quantum and classical levels. In our investigations of two-level models we demonstrate [1] the phenomenon of fast transitions developed in the PT -symmetric quantum brachistochrone problem may in fact be attributed to the non-Hermiticity of evolution operator used, rather than to its invariance under PT operation. Transition probabilities are calculated for Hamiltonians which explicitly violate PT -symmetry. When it comes to Hilbert spaces of infinite dimension, starting with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians expressed as linear and quadratic combinations of the generators of the su(1; 1) Lie algebra, we construct [2] Hermitian partners in the same similarity class. Alongside, metrics with respect to which the original Hamiltonians are Hermitian are also constructed, allowing to assign meaning to a large class of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians possessing real spectra. The finding of exact results to establish the physical acceptability of other non-Hermitian models may be pursued by other means, especially if the system of interest cannot be expressed in terms of Lie algebraic elements. We also employ [3] a representation of the canonical commutation relations for position and momentum operators in terms of real-valued functions and a noncommutative product rule of differential form. Besides exact solutions, we also compute in a perturbative fashion metrics and isospectral partners for systems of physical interest. Classically, our efforts were concentrated on integrable models presenting PT - symmetry. Because the latter can also establish the reality of energies in classical systems described by Hamiltonian functions, we search for new families of nonlinear differential equations for which the presence of hidden symmetries allows one to assemble exact solutions. We use [4] the Painleve test to check whether deformations of integrable systems preserve integrability. Moreover we compare [5] integrable deformed models, which are thus likely to possess soliton solutions, to a broader class of systems presenting compacton solutions. Finally we study [6] the pole structure of certain real valued nonlinear integrable systems and establish that they behave as interacting particles whose motion can be extended to the complex plane in a PT -symmetric way.
This thesis is centred around the role of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians in Physics both at the quantum and classical levels. In our investigations of two-level models we demonstrate [1] the phenomenon of fast transitions developed in the PT -symmetric quantum brachistochrone problem may in fact be attributed to the non-Hermiticity of evolution operator used, rather than to its invariance under PT operation. Transition probabilities are calculated for Hamiltonians which explicitly violate PT -symmetry. When it comes to Hilbert spaces of infinite dimension, starting with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians expressed as linear and quadratic combinations of the generators of the su(1; 1) Lie algebra, we construct [2] Hermitian partners in the same similarity class. Alongside, metrics with respect to which the original Hamiltonians are Hermitian are also constructed, allowing to assign meaning to a large class of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians possessing real spectra. The finding of exact results to establish the physical acceptability of other non-Hermitian models may be pursued by other means, especially if the system of interest cannot be expressed in terms of Lie algebraic elements. We also employ [3] a representation of the canonical commutation relations for position and momentum operators in terms of real-valued functions and a noncommutative product rule of differential form. Besides exact solutions, we also compute in a perturbative fashion metrics and isospectral partners for systems of physical interest. Classically, our efforts were concentrated on integrable models presenting PT - symmetry. Because the latter can also establish the reality of energies in classical systems described by Hamiltonian functions, we search for new families of nonlinear differential equations for which the presence of hidden symmetries allows one to assemble exact solutions. We use [4] the Painleve test to check whether deformations of integrable systems preserve integrability. Moreover we compare [5] integrable deformed models, which are thus likely to possess soliton solutions, to a broader class of systems presenting compacton solutions. Finally we study [6] the pole structure of certain real valued nonlinear integrable systems and establish that they behave as interacting particles whose motion can be extended to the complex plane in a PT -symmetric way.
The family of metric operators, constructed by Musumbu et al (2007 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 F75), for Swanson’s PT-symmetric Hamiltonian, is re-examined in the light of an su(1,1) approach. An alternative derivation, only relying on properties of su(1,1) generators, is proposed. Being independent of the realization considered for the latter, it opens the way towards the construction of generalized Swanson’s non-Hermitian (not necessarily PT-symmetric) Hamiltonians related by similarity to Hermitian ones. Some examples of them are reviewed. Short title: Swanson’s non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and su(1,1)