Precision-Induced Irreversibility in non-Hermitian systems
Abstract
Non-Hermitian evolution is mathematically invertible, yet finite dynamic range imposes a sharp operational limit on reversibility. We identify Precision-Induced Irreversibility (PIR): amplification, mode mixing (as warranted by non-normality), and a finite resolution floor -- whether set by numerical precision, detector noise, or environmental fluctuations -- conspire to produce a quantitative predictability horizon , beyond which distinct states collapse onto identical representations. Within the effective non-Hermitian description, the mechanism requires neither environmental decoherence nor nonlinear dynamics; remove any ingredient and reversibility can be restored. Echo-fidelity tests confirm this transition across arbitrary-precision arithmetic and hardware, revealing where formal invertibility and physical reversibility diverge.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2603.22284,
title = {Precision-Induced Irreversibility in non-Hermitian systems},
author = {Luis E. F. Foa Torres and G. Pappas and V. Achilleos and D. Bautista Avilés},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.22284},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
6 pages, 3 figures; includes Supplemental Material (15 pages, 3 figures)