Related papers: A Hamiltonian Formulation of the Pais-Uhlenbeck Os…
We discuss the quantum dynamics of the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator. The Lagrangian of this higher-derivative model depends on two frequencies. When the frequencies are different, the free PU oscillator has a pure point spectrum that is dense…
We perform a perturbative calculation of the physical observables, in particular pseudo-Hermitian position and momentum operators, the equivalent Hermitian Hamiltonian operator, and the classical Hamiltonian for the PT-symmetric cubic…
We provide a new formulation of the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator which is a prototype of a higher derivative model. Different parametrisations that reveal the model as a combination of two simple harmonic oscillators are introduced.…
We explore the Jacobi Last Multiplier as a means for deriving the Lagrangian of a fourth-order differential equation. In particular we consider the classical problem of the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator and write down the accompanying…
It is shown that the interacting Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator necessarily leads to a description with a Hamiltonian that contains positive and negative energies associated with two oscillators. Descriptions with a positive definite…
We survey some of the main conceptual developments in the study of PT-symmetric and pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian operators that have taken place during the past ten years or so. We offer a precise mathematical description of a quantum…
We present a detailed analysis of the orbital stability of the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator, using Lie-Deprit series and Hamiltonian normal form theories. In particular, we explicitly describe the reduced phase space for this Hamiltonian…
We consider a Hamiltonian formulation of the (2n+1)-order generalization of the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator with distinct frequencies of oscillation. This system is invariant under time translations. However, the corresponding Noether…
The algebraic method enables one to study the properties of the spectrum of a quadratic Hamiltonian through the mathematical properties of a matrix representation called regular or adjoint. This matrix exhibits exceptional points where it…
The quantum measurement axiom dictates that physical observables and in particular the Hamiltonian must be diagonalizable and have a real spectrum. For a time-independent Hamiltonian (with a discrete spectrum) these conditions ensure the…
In a recent paper Bender and Mannheim showed that the unequal-frequency fourth-order derivative Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator model has a realization in which the energy eigenvalues are real and bounded below, the Hilbert-space inner product is…
A system of two independent Bosonic Harmonic Oscillators is converted into the respective fourth-order derivative Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator model. The conversion procedure displays transparently how the quantization of the fourth-order…
In a recent paper a slightly modified version of the Bateman system, originally proposed to describe a damped harmonic oscillator, was proposed. This system is really different from the Bateman's one, in the sense that this latter cannot be…
The status of classical stability in higher-derivative systems is still subject to discussions. In this note, we argue that, contrary to general belief, many higher-derivative systems are classically stable. The main tool to see this…
We study the quantum Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator at the resonant (equal-frequency) point, where the dynamics becomes non-diagonalisable and the conventional Fock-space construction collapses. At the classical level, the degenerate system…
This paper proposes to broaden the canonical formulation of quantum mechanics. Ordinarily, one imposes the condition $H^\dagger=H$ on the Hamiltonian, where $\dagger$ represents the mathematical operation of complex conjugation and matrix…
We present a Lie algebraic approach to a Hamiltonian class covering driven, parametric quantum harmonic oscillators where the parameter set -- mass, frequency, driving strength, and parametric pumping -- is time-dependent. Our…
It is generally assumed that a Hamiltonian for a physically acceptable quantum system (one that has a positive-definite spectrum and obeys the requirement of unitarity) must be Hermitian. However, a PT-symmetric Hamiltonian can also define…
In a remarkable development Bender and coworkers have shown that it is possible to formulate quantum mechanics consistently even if the Hamiltonian and other observables are not Hermitian. Their formulation, dubbed PT quantum mechanics,…
Parity-time ($PT$)-symmetric Hamiltonians exhibit non-unitary dynamical evolution while maintaining real spectra, and offer unique approaches to quantum sensing and entanglement generation. Here we present a method for simulating the…