The ()-dimensional (generalized) Dirac equation is shown to have the same form as the equation expressing the condition that a given point lies on a given line in 3-dimensional projective space. The resulting Hamiltonian with a mass term is not Hermitian, but is invariant under the combined transformation of parity reflection and time reversal . When the symmetry is unbroken, the energy spectrum of the free spin- theory is real, with an appropriately shifted mass.
The ()-dimensional (generalized) Dirac equation is shown to have the same form as the equation expressing the condition that a given point lies on a given line in 3-dimensional projective space. The resulting Hamiltonian with a mass term is not Hermitian, but is invariant under the combined transformation of parity reflection and time reversal . When the symmetry is unbroken, the energy spectrum of the free spin- theory is real, with an appropriately shifted mass.
The average quantum physicist on the street would say that a quantum-mechanical Hamiltonian must be Dirac Hermitian (invariant under combined matrix transposition and complex conjugation) in order to guarantee that the energy eigenvalues are real and that time evolution is unitary. However, the Hamiltonian H = p 2 + ix 3 , which is obviously not Dirac Hermitian, has a positive real discrete spectrum and generates unitary time evolution, and thus it defines a fully consistent and physical quantum theory. Evidently, the axiom of Dirac Hermiticity is too restrictive. While H = p 2 + ix 3 is not Dirac Hermitian, it is PT symmetric; that is, invariant under combined parity P (space reflection) and time reversal T . The quantum mechanics defined by a PT -symmetric Hamiltonian is a complex generalization of ordinary quantum mechanics. When quantum mechanics is extended into the complex domain, new kinds of theories having strange and remarkable properties emerge. In the past few years, some of these properties have been verified in laboratory experiments. A particularly interesting PT-symmetric Hamiltonian is H = p 2 − x 4 , which contains an upside-down potential. This potential is discussed in detail, and it is explained in intuitive as well as in rigorous terms why the energy levels of this potential are real, positive, and discrete. Applications of PT -symmetry in quantum field theory are also discussed.
Most quantum physicists believe that a quantum-mechanical Hamiltonian must be Dirac Hermitian (invariant under matrix transposition and complex conjugation) to be sure that the energy eigenvalues are real and that time evolution is unitary. However, the non-Dirac-hermitian Hamiltonian H = p2+ix3 has a real positive discrete spectrum and generates unitary time evolution and defines a fully consistent and physical quantum theory. Evidently, Dirac Hermiticity is too restrictive. While H = p2+ix3 is not Dirac Hermitian, it is PT symmetric (invariant under combined space reflection P and time reversal T). Another PT-symmetric Hamiltonian whose energy levels are real, positive and discrete is H = p2−x4, which contains an upside-down potential. The quantum mechanics defined by a PT-symmetric Hamiltonian is a complex generalization of ordinary quantum mechanics. When quantum mechanics and quantum field theory are extended into the complex domain, new kinds of theories having strange and remarkable properties emerge. In the past two years some of these properties have been verified in laboratory experiments. Here, we first discuss PT-symmetric Hamiltonians at a simple intuitive level and explain why the energy levels of such Hamiltonians may be real, positive, and discrete. Second, we describe a recent experiment in which the PT phase transition was observed. Third, we briefly mention that PT-symmetric theories can be useful at a fundamental level. While the double-scaling limit of an O(N)-symmetric gφ4 quantum field theory appears to be inconsistent because the critical value of g is negative, this limit is in fact not inconsistent because the critical theory is PT symmetric.
In 1998 it was discovered that the requirement that a Hamiltonian be Dirac Hermitian (H = H†) can be weakened and generalized to the requirement that a Hamiltonian be PT symmetric ([H,PT] = 0); that is, invariant under combined space reflection and time reversal. Weakening the constraint of Hermiticity allows one to consider new kinds of physically acceptable Hamiltonians and, in effect, it amounts to extending quantum mechanics from the real (Hermitian) domain into the complex domain. Much work has been done on the analysis of various PT‐symmetric quantum‐mechanical models. However, only very little analysis has been done on PT‐symmetric quantum‐field‐theoretic models. Here, we describe some of what has been done in the context of PT‐symmetric quantum field theory and describe some possible fundamental applications.
Recently, much research has been carried out on Hamiltonians that are not Hermitian but are symmetric under space-time reflection, that is, Hamiltonians that exhibit PT symmetry. Investigations of the Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problem associated with such Hamiltonians have shown that in many cases the entire energy spectrum is real and positive and that the eigenfunctions form an orthogonal and complete basis. Furthermore, the quantum theories determined by such Hamiltonians have been shown to be consistent in the sense that the probabilities are positive and the dynamical trajectories are unitary. However, the geometrical structures that underlie quantum theories formulated in terms of such Hamiltonians have hitherto not been fully understood. This paper studies in detail the geometric properties of a Hilbert space endowed with a parity structure and analyses the characteristics of a PT-symmetric Hamiltonian and its eigenstates. A canonical relationship between a PT-symmetric operator and a Hermitian operator is established. It is shown that the quadratic form corresponding to the parity operator, in particular, gives rise to a natural partition of the Hilbert space into two halves corresponding to states having positive and negative PT norm. The indefiniteness of the norm can be circumvented by introducing a symmetry operator C that defines a positive definite inner product by means of a CPT conjugation operation.
PT symmetric Hamiltonian model and Dirac equation in 1+1 dimensions
In this paper, we have introduced a symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonian model which is given as where ω and α are real constants, and are first-order differential operators. The Hermitian form of the Hamiltonian is obtained by suitable mappings and it is interrelated to the time-independent one-dimensional Dirac equation in the presence of position-dependent mass. Then, Dirac equation is reduced to a Schrödinger-like equation and two new complex non- symmetric vector potentials are generated. We have obtained a real spectrum for these new complex vector potentials using the shape invariance method. We have searched the real energy values using numerical methods for the specific values of the parameters.
In this paper, the relativistic Dirac equation in one dimension is investigated for a particle in an external electromagnetic field, with the property of position-dependent effective mass approximation (PDEM), in the absence of vector potential. By removing the lower spinor component and combining the pair of equations, a Schrödinger-like equation is obtained for the upper spinor component. Using canonical transformations and introducing two first-order Hermitian and anti-Hermitian differential operators, a formalism for pseudo-hermitic Hamiltonians with parity-time reversal symmetry (PT) has been obtained. Comparing the equation derived from pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian with the non-relativistic Schrödinger equation leads to a general formalism for one-dimensional solvable imaginary non-Hermitian potentials with real energy spectra. Also, using this process, the complex potentials of Pöschl-Teller and Scarf II with real energy spectra in Dirac equation with PDEM approximationand PT symmetry have been investigated and their application has been expressed. For some particular parameters we will see the phenomenon of energy-levels crossing. In fact, it means that energy levels disappear from the spectrum. Also, for the mentioned examples, potential figures are drawn.