Related papers: Antilinear Symmetry and the Ghost Problem in Quant…
In the recent literature there has been a resurgence of interest in the fourth-order field-theoretic model of Pais-Uhlenbeck \cite {Pais-Uhlenbeck 50 a}, which has not had a good reception over the last half century due to the existence of…
We look at some dynamic geometries produced by scalar fields with both the "right" and the "wrong" sign of the kinetic energy. We start with anisotropic homogeneous universes with closed, open and flat spatial sections. A non-singular…
Two non-Hermitian PT-symmetric Hamiltonian systems are reconsidered by means of the algebraic method which was originally proposed for the pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian systems rather than for the PT-symmetric ones. Compared with the way…
While a Hamiltonian can be both Hermitian and $PT$ symmetric, it is $PT$ symmetry that is the more general, as it can lead to real energy eigenvalues even if the Hamiltonian is not Hermitian. We discuss some specific ways in which $PT$…
We show that a quantum system possessing an exact antilinear symmetry, in particular PT-symmetry, is equivalent to a quantum system having a Hermitian Hamiltonian. We construct the unitary operator relating an arbitrary non-Hermitian…
I consider the longstanding issue of the hermiticity of the Dirac equation in curved spacetime. Instead of imposing hermiticity by adding ad hoc terms, I renormalize the field by a scaling function, which is related to the determinant of…
PT-symmetric quantum mechanics is an alternative formulation of quantum mechanics in which the mathematical axiom of Hermiticity (transpose and complex conjugate) is replaced by the physically transparent condition of space-time reflection…
Preservation of coherence is a fundamental yet subtle phenomenon in open systems. We uncover its relation to symmetries respected by the system Hamiltonian and its coupling to the environment. We discriminate between local and global…
A method to construct non-Dirac-hermitian supersymmetric quantum system that is isospectral with a Dirac-hermitian Hamiltonian is presented. The general technique involves a realization of the basic canonical (anti-)commutation relations…
We consider the simplest nontrivial supersymmetric quantum mechanical system involving higher derivatives. We unravel the existence of additional bosonic and fermionic integrals of motion forming a nontrivial algebra. This allows one to…
Many physical systems can be described by nonlinear eigenvalues and bifurcation problems with a linear part that is non-selfadjoint e.g. due to the presence of loss and gain. The balance of these effects is reflected in an antilinear…
Non-Hermiticity in quantum Hamiltonians leads to nonunitary time evolution and possibly complex energy eigenvalues, which can lead to a rich phenomenology with no Hermitian counterpart. In this work, we study the dynamics of an exactly…
Parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetry plays an important role both in non-Hermitian and topological systems. In non-Hermitian systems $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry can lead to an entirely real energy spectrum, while in topological systems…
In recent reports, suggestions have been put forward to the effect that parity and time-reversal (PT) symmetry in quantum mechanics is incompatible with causality. It is shown here, in contrast, that PT-symmetric quantum mechanics is fully…
An inspection of the precise geometric constructions underlying fundamental notions in quantum gauge field theories sheds light on various aspects which tend to be obscured in the usual formalisms. Revising the notions of mutually…
We analyze several non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with antiunitary symmetry from the point of view of their point-group symmetry. It enables us to predict the degeneracy of the energy levels and to reduce the dimension of the matrices necessary…
$\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric quantum mechanics has been considered an important theoretical framework for understanding physical phenomena in $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric systems, with a number of $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry related applications. This…
We extend the $CPT$ theorem to quantum field theories with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and unstable states. Our derivation is a quite minimal one as it requires only the time independent evolution of scalar products, invariance under complex…
Quantum mechanics requires a hermitian inner product <~,~> -- linear in one variable, antilinear in the other -- while the inner product (~,~) that comes most naturally from Euclidean path integrals is linear in each variable. Here we…
Intrinsic microphysical irreversibility is the time asymmetry observed in exponentially decaying states. It is described by the semigroup generated by the Hamiltonian $\QTR{it}{H}$ of the quantum physical system, not by the semigroup…