English

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}
}