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arXiv:2503.03527 · Physical Review A

Heisenberg and Heisenberg-like representations via Hilbert-space-bundle geometry in the non-Hermitian regime

Chia-Yi Ju, Adam Miranowicz, Jacob L. Barnett, Guang-Yin Chen, Franco Nori

Published May 15, 2025• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The equivalence between the Schr\"odinger and Heisenberg representations is a cornerstone of quantum mechanics. However, this relationship remains unclear in the non-Hermitian regime, particularly when the Hamiltonian is time dependent. In this paper, we address this gap by establishing the connection between the two representations, incorporating the metric of the Hilbert space bundle. We not only demonstrate the consistency between the Schr\"odinger and Heisenberg representations but also present a Heisenberg-like representation grounded in the generalized vielbein formalism, which provides a clear and intuitive geometric interpretation. Unlike the standard Heisenberg representation, where the metric of the Hilbert space is encoded solely in the dual states, the Heisenberg-like representation distributes the metric information between both the states and the dual states. Despite this distinction, it retains the same Heisenberg equation of motion for operators. Within this formalism, the Hamiltonian is replaced by a Hermitian counterpart, while the ``non-Hermiticity'' is transferred to the operators. Moreover, this approach extends to regimes with a dynamical metric (beyond the pseudo-Hermitian framework) and to systems governed by time-dependent Hamiltonians.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.111.052213

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The equivalence between the Schr"odinger and Heisenberg representations is a cornerstone of quantum mechanics. However, this relationship remains unclear in the non-Hermitian regime, particularly when the Hamiltonian is time dependent. In this paper, we address this gap by establishing the connection between the two representations, incorporating the metric of the Hilbert space bundle. We not only demonstrate the consistency between the Schr"odinger and Heisenberg representations but also present a Heisenberg-like representation grounded in the generalized vielbein formalism, which provides a clear and intuitive geometric interpretation. Unlike the standard Heisenberg representation, where the metric of the Hilbert space is encoded solely in the dual states, the Heisenberg-like representation distributes the metric information between both the states and the dual states. Despite this distinction, it retains the same Heisenberg equation of motion for operators. Within this formalism, the Hamiltonian is replaced by a Hermitian counterpart, while the ``non-Hermiticity'' is transferred to the operators. Moreover, this approach extends to regimes with a dynamical metric (beyond the pseudo-Hermitian framework) and to systems governed by time-dependent Hamiltonians.
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A non-Hermitian operator H defined in a Hilbert space with inner product ⟨ · | · ⟩ may serve as the Hamiltonian for a unitary quantum system if it is η -pseudo-Hermitian for a metric operator (positive-definite automorphism) η . The latter defines the inner product ⟨ · | η · ⟩ of the physical Hilbert space H η of the system. For situations where some of the eigenstates of H depend on time, η becomes time-dependent. Therefore, the system has a non-stationary Hilbert space. Such quantum systems, which are also encountered in the study of quantum mechanics in cosmological backgrounds, suffer from a conflict between the unitarity of time evolution and the unobservability of the Hamiltonian. Their proper treatment requires a geometric framework which clarifies the notion of the energy observable and leads to a geometric extension of quantum mechanics (GEQM). We provide a general introduction to the subject, review some of the recent developments, offer a straightforward description of the Heisenberg-picture formulation of the dynamics for quantum systems having a time-dependent Hilbert space, and outline the Heisenberg-picture formulation of dynamics in GEQM.
A deformation of Heisenberg algebra induces among other consequences a loss of Hermiticity of some operators that generate this algebra. Therefore, these operators are not Hermitian, nor is the Hamiltonian operator built from them. In the present paper, we propose a position deformation of Heisenberg algebra with both maximal length and minimal momentum uncertainties. By using a pseudo-similarity transformation to the non-Hermitian operators, we prove their Hermiticity with a suitable positive-definite pseudo-metric operator. We then construct Hilbert space representations associated with these pseudo-Hermitian operators. Finally, we study the eigenvalue problem of a free particle in this deformed space and we show that this deformation curved the quantum levels allowing particles to jump from one state to another with low energy transitions.
The formalism for non-Hermitian quantum systems sometimes blurs the underlying physics. We present a systematic study of the vielbeinlike formalism which transforms the Hilbert space bundles of non-Hermitian systems into the conventional ones, rendering the induced Hamiltonian to be Hermitian. In other words, any non-Hermitian Hamiltonian can be ``transformed'' into a Hermitian one without altering the physics. Thus we show how to find a reference frame (corresponding to Einstein's quantum elevator) in which a non-Hermitian system, equipped with a nontrivial Hilbert space metric, reduces to a Hermitian system within the standard formalism of quantum mechanics.
Non-Hermitian systems exhibit spectral and topological phenomena absent in Hermitian physics; however, their geometric characterization remains subtle due to the intrinsic ambiguity of biorthogonal eigenspaces. Since left and right eigenvectors are not related by Hermitian conjugation, the associated Berry connection is generally nonunique, leading to complex geometric phases and ambiguously defined holonomies. Here we formulate a covariant geometric framework for non-Hermitian quantum systems based on the metric structure of the underlying Hilbert space. We show that, in the quantum regime with continuous state evolution, the conventional Berry connection and the associated Berry holonomy over closed parameter-space loops can be consistently defined only in the pseudo-Hermitian limit, where the spectrum is real. For generic non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with complex spectra, the relevant geometric object is instead the Aharonov--Anandan holonomy associated with cyclic evolution in projective Hilbert space. Within the pseudo-Hermitian regime, we construct a unique Hermitian Berry connection that is covariant under arbitrary GL(N,C){\rm GL}(N,\mathbb C)GL(N,C) frame transformations and reduces to the standard Berry connection in the Hermitian limit. The resulting formalism separates the intrinsic geometry of the Hamiltonian eigenspace from contributions arising from the parameter dependence of the Hilbert-space metric, revealing that the conventional biorthogonal formulation generally mixes these distinct geometric effects. Consequently, geometric phases, synthetic gauge fields, and topological characteristics commonly attributed to non-Hermitian eigenspace geometry may, in part, originate from the underlying metric structure. Our framework therefore provides a consistent geometric foundation for Berry phases, non-Abelian holonomies, and topological invariants in non-Hermitian quantum systems.
In the context of non-Hermitian quantum mechanics, many systems are known to possess a pseudo PT symmetry , i.e. the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian H is related to its adjoint H^{†} via the relation, H^{†}=PTHPT . We propose a derivation of pseudo PT symmetry and η -pseudo-Hermiticity simultaneously for the time dependent non-Hermitian Hamiltonians by intoducing a new metric η(t)=PTη(t) that not satisfy the time-dependent quasi-Hermiticity relation but obeys the Heisenberg evolution equation. Here, we solve the SU(1,1) time-dependent non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and we construct a time-dependent solutions by employing this new metric and discuss a concrete physical applications of our results.