Motivated by the existence of bi-Hamiltonian classical systems and the correspondence principle, in this paper we analyze the problem of finding Hermitian scalar products which turn a given flow on a Hilbert space into a unitary one. We show how different invariant Hermitian scalar products give rise to different descriptions of a quantumsystem in the Ehrenfest and Heisenberg picture.
Motivated by the existence of bi-Hamiltonian classical systems and the correspondence principle, in this paper we analyze the problem of finding Hermitian scalar products which turn a given flow on a Hilbert space into a unitary one. We show how different invariant Hermitian scalar products give rise to different descriptions of a quantumsystem in the Ehrenfest and Heisenberg picture.
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.
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.
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.
We provide a new perspective on non-Hermitian evolution in quantum mechanics by emphasizing the same method as in the Hermitian quantum evolution. We first give a precise description of the non unitary transformation and the associated evolution, and collecting the basic results around it and postulating the norm preserving. This cautionary postulate imposing that the time evolution of a non Hermitian quantum system preserves the inner products between the associated states must not be read naively. We also give an example showing that the solutions of time-dependent non Hermitian Hamiltonian systems given by a linear combination of SU(1,1) and SU(2) are obtained thanks to time-dependent non-unitary transformation.
This article discusses the quantization of linear Hamiltonian systems, a historically rich but under explored line of research. The key idea is that a classical linear Hamiltonian system induces on its phase space a compatible complex structure and scalar product, giving rise to a complex Hilbert space where classical dynamics becomes a one-parameter unitary group. Boson Fock quantization of this group then recovers, up to unitary equivalence, the results of canonical quantization. This expository overview traces the development of this framework from foundational works to modern symplectic perspectives, offering a case study in the dialogue between analysis, geometry, and physics.
We characterize the quasianti-Hermitian quaternionic operators in quaternionic quantum mechanics by means of their spectra; moreover, we state a necessary and sufficient condition for a set of quasianti-Hermitian quaternionic operators to be anti-Hermitian with respect to a uniquely defined positive scalar product in a infinite dimensional (right) quaternionic Hilbert space. According to such results we obtain two alternative descriptions of a quantum optical physical system, in the realm of quaternionic quantum mechanics, while no alternative can exist in complex quantum mechanics, and we discuss some differences between them.