Quantum harmonic oscillator, index theorem and spectral asymmetry
Quantum Physics
2026-04-15 v6 High Energy Physics - Theory
Mathematical Physics
math.MP
Abstract
We report a spectral asymmetry effect in the quantum harmonic oscillator, where its partition function is identified as the Chern character. This establishes a direct link between statistical mechanics, and topological invariants (Atiyah-Singer index theorem), revealing the internal energy as a non-SUSY manifestation of the index theorem. We show that the partition function can be interpreted as the Chern character of "virtual physical sheaf", namely, a Hermitian vector bundle encoding quantum states over spacetime. This work uncovers an underlying topological structure in bosonic quantum systems.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2505.21348,
title = {Quantum harmonic oscillator, index theorem and spectral asymmetry},
author = {Shunrui Li and Yang Liu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.21348},
year = {2026}
}