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arXiv:1908.06384

Ladders of eigenvalues and resonances in bipartite complex potentials

Denis Ivanovich Borisov, Dmitry A. Zezyulin

Published Aug 18, 2019• 0 citations
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Abstract

We consider a Schroedinger operator on the axis with a bipartite potential consisting of two compactly supported complex-valued functions, whose supports are separated by a large distance. We show that this operator possesses a sequence of approximately equidistant complex wavenumbers corresponding to resonances or eigenvalues situated near the real axis. This phenomenon can be considered as a counterpart and a non-hermitian generalization of the well-known Wannier-Stark ladder of resonances; for real potentials the phenomenon holds as well. The result has potential applications in standard and non-hermitian quantum mechanics, physics of waveguides, photonics, and in other areas where the Schroedinger operator emerges as an effective Hamiltonian.

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We consider a Schroedinger operator on the axis with a bipartite potential consisting of two compactly supported complex-valued functions, whose supports are separated by a large distance. We show that this operator possesses a sequence of approximately equidistant complex wavenumbers corresponding to resonances or eigenvalues situated near the real axis. This phenomenon can be considered as a counterpart and a non-hermitian generalization of the well-known Wannier-Stark ladder of resonances; for real potentials the phenomenon holds as well. The result has potential applications in standard and non-hermitian quantum mechanics, physics of waveguides, photonics, and in other areas where the Schroedinger operator emerges as an effective Hamiltonian.
The Wannier-Stark ladder (WSL) is a basic concept, supporting periodic oscillation, widely used in many areas of physics. In this paper, we investigate the formations of WSL in generalized systems, including strongly correlated and non-Hermitian systems. We present a theorem on the existence of WSL for a set of general systems that are translationally symmetric before the addition of a linear potential. For a non-Hermitian system, the WSL becomes complex but maintains a real energy level spacing. We illustrate the theorem using 1D extended Bose-Hubbard models with both real and imaginary hopping strengths. It is shown that the Bloch-Zener oscillations of correlated bosons are particularly remarkable under resonant conditions. Numerical simulations for cases with boson numbers n=2n=2n=2, 333, and 444 are presented. Analytical and numerical results for the time evolution of the nnn-boson-occupied initial state indicate that all evolved states exhibit quasi periodic oscillations, but with different profiles, depending on the Hermiticity and interaction strength.
Although the standard formalism of quantum mechanics is based on the requirement of the physical operators to be Hermitian, the use of non-Hermitian operators in the study of different types of phenomena is not uncommon. One of the most well-known non-Hermitian potentials is the optical potential where for any given choice of N channels the exact eigenvalue is a solution of a single-channel problem. The optical potential is a non-Hermitian, non-local and energy-dependent operator. In his book on scattering theory Taylor writes: “In practice, the optical potential is far too complicated for exact use in actual calculations”. It is often believed that the complex energies which are obtained by the use of optical potentials result from the approximations in the calculations. However, this is not true. The complex energy obtained by solving the one-channel problem with an optical potential is the exact eigenvalue of the original N -channel problem which is obtained by imposing outgoing boundary conditions on the eigenfunctions of the time-independent Schrödinger equation. In this chapter we wish to show that the study of the resonances in multi-channel problems (so-called Feshbach resonances) can be considered as the point where quantum mechanics branches into the standard (Hermitian) and non-standard (non-Hermitan) formalisms. Feshbach resonances Quite a long time ago Feshbach showed that the exact energy spectrum of the full physical problem can be obtained by solving two different self-energy problems.
We consider a two-parameter non-Hermitian quantum mechanical Hamiltonian operator that is invariant under the combined effects of parity and time reversal transformations. Numerical investigation shows that for some values of the potential parameters the Hamiltonian operator supports real eigenvalues and localized eigenfunctions. In contrast with other parity times time reversal symmetric models which require special integration paths in the complex plane, our model is integrable along a line parallel to the real axis.
The Hermitian properties of the Hamiltonian are related not only to the operator itself but also to the functions on which it acts. Hermitian Hamiltonians operate on functions in the L 2 Hilbert space which correspond to boundary conditions which vanish at infinity. In this chapter, in order to move into the non-Hermitian domain, we will impose on the solutions to the time-independent Schrödinger equation (TISE) different boundary conditions which lead to solutions which can be associated with different types of the complex poles of the scattering matrix. These solutions will contain information which was not available within the scope of functions in L 2 . By imposing outgoing boundary conditions on the eigenfunctions of the timeindependent Hamiltonian complex eigenvalues, E res = ε − (i/2)Г, are obtained. These complex energies are associated with decaying resonance states which were discussed in the previous two chapters. The bound states (if they exist) appear as real eigenvalues since they result from exactly such outgoing boundary conditions which appear under the threshold energy. When incoming boundary conditions are imposed two kind of solution are obtained. One type of solution is the complex conjugates of the decay resonance solutions mentioned above. In scattering theory text books (see Taylor for example) the physical resonance solutions are associated with the poles of the scattering matrix which are embedded in the lower half of the complex energy plane. However, in nuclear physics the complex poles embedded in the upper half of the complex energy plane, so-called virtual states , are denoted as capture resonances .
Spectral singularities are spectral points that spoil the completeness of the eigenfunctions of certain non-Hermitian Hamiltonian operators. We identify spectral singularities of complex scattering potentials with the real energies at which the reflection and transmission coefficients tend to infinity, i.e., they correspond to resonances having a zero width. We show that a waveguide modeled using such a potential operates like a resonator at the frequencies of spectral singularities. As a concrete example, we explore the spectral singularities of an imaginary PT-symmetric barrier potential and demonstrate the above resonance phenomenon for a certain electromagnetic waveguide.