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The Hilbert-Space Structure of Non-Hermitian Theories with Real Spectra

Kretschmer, R, L. Szymanowski

Published Sep 15, 2003• 18 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We investigate the quantum-mechanical interpretation of models with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and real spectra. After describing a general framework to reformulate such models in terms of Hermitian Hamiltonians defined on the Hilbert space $L_2(-\\infty,\\infty)$, we discuss the significance of the algebra of physical observables.

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We investigate the quantum-mechanical interpretation of models with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and real spectra. After describing a general framework to reformulate such models in terms of Hermitian Hamiltonians defined on the Hilbert space L2(−infty,infty)L_2(-\\infty,\\infty)L2​(−infty,infty), we discuss the significance of the algebra of physical observables.
We study the quantum-mechanical interpretation of models with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and real spectra. We set up a general framework for the analysis of such systems in terms of Hermitian Hamiltonians defined in the usual Hilbert space L2(−∞,∞)L_2(-\infty,\infty)L2​(−∞,∞). Special emphasis is put on the correct definition of the algebra of physical observables. Within this scheme we consider various examples, including the model recently introduced by Cannata et al. and the model of Hatano and Nelson.
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.
Many problems in theoretical physics are very frequently dealt with non-Hermitian operators. Recently there has been a lot of interest in non-Hermitian operators with real spectra. In this paper, by using the inverse problem for quantum systems, we show that, on finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, all diagonalizable operators with a real spectrum can be made Hermitian with respect to a properly chosen inner product. In particular this allows the use of standard methods of quantum mechanics to analyze non-Hermitian operators with real spectra.
We first recall a fact which is well-known among mathematical physicists although lesser-known among theoretical physicists that the standard quantum mechanics over a complex Hilbert space, is a Hamiltonian mechanics, regarding the Hilbert space as a linear real manifold equipped with its canonical symplectic form and restricting only to the expectation-value functions of Hermitian operators. Then in this framework, we reformulate the structure of quantum mechanics in the language of symplectic manifolds and avoid linear structure of Hilbert space in such a way that the results can be stated for an arbitrary symplectic manifold.
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 and elaborate on a number of relevant issues of fundamental importance. In particular, we discuss the role of the antilinear symmetries such as PT, the true meaning and significance of the charge operators C and the CPT-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 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.
A few recent innovations of the applicability of standard textbook Quantum Theory are reviewed. The three-Hilbert-space formulation of the theory (known from the interacting boson models in nuclear physics) is discussed in its slightly broadened four-Hilbert-space update. Among applications involving several new scattering and bound-state problems the central role is played by models using apparently non-Hermitian (often called “crypto-Hermitian”) Hamiltonians with real spectra. The formalism (originally inspired by the topical need for a mathematically consistent description of tobogganic quantum models) is shown to admit even certain unusual nonlocal and/or “moving-frame” representations H(S) of the standard physical Hilbert space of wave functions.