Biorthogonal Renormalization

The biorthogonal formalism extends conventional quantum mechanics to the non-Hermitian realm. It has, however, been pointed out that the biorthogonal inner product changes with the scaling of the eigenvectors, an ambiguity whose physical significance is still being debated. Here, we revisit this issue and argue when this choice of normalization is of physical importance. We illustrate in which settings quantities such as expectation values and transition probabilities depend on the scaling of eigenvectors, and in which settings the biorthogonal formalism remains unambiguous. To resolve the apparent scaling ambiguity, we introduce an inner product independent of the gauge choice of basis and show that its corresponding mathematical structure is consistent with quantum mechanics. Using this formalism, we identify a deeper problem relating to the physicality of Hilbert space representations, which we illustrate using the position basis. Apart from increasing the understanding of the mathematical foundations upon which many physical results rely, our findings also pave the way towards consistent comparisons between systems described by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure

Nodal phases in non-Hermitian wallpaper crystals

Symmetry and non-Hermiticity play pivotal roles in photonic lattices. While symmetries such as parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetry have attracted ample attention, more intricate crystalline symmetries have been neglected in comparison. Here, we investigate the impact of the 17 wallpaper space groups of two-dimensional crystals on non-Hermitian band structures. We show that the non-trivial space group representations enforce degeneracies at high symmetry points and dictate their dispersion away from these points. In combination with either $\mathcal{T}$ or $\mathcal{PT}$, the symmorphic p4mm symmetry, as well as the non-symmorphic p2mg, p2gg, and p4gm symmetries, protect novel exceptional chains intersecting at the pertinent high symmetry points.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Homotopy, Symmetry, and Non-Hermitian Band Topology

Non-Hermitian matrices are ubiquitous in the description of nature ranging from classical dissipative systems, including optical, electrical, and mechanical metamaterials, to scattering of waves and open quantum many-body systems. Seminal K-theory classifications of non-Hermitian systems based on line and point gaps in the presence of symmetry have deepened the understanding of a wide range of physical phenomena. However, ample systems remain beyond this description; reference points and lines are in general unable to distinguish whether multiple non-Hermitian bands exhibit band crossings and braids. To remedy this we consider the complementary notions of non-Hermitian band gaps and separation gaps that crucially include a broad class of multi-band scenarios, enabling the description of generic band structures with symmetries. With these concepts, we provide a unified and systematic classification of both gapped and nodal non-Hermitian systems in the presence of physically relevant parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) and pseudo-Hermitian symmetries using homotopy theory. This uncovers new fragile phases and, remarkably, also implies new stable phenomena stemming from the topology of both eigenvalues and eigenvectors. In particular, we reveal different Abelian and non-Abelian phases in $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric systems, described by frame and braid topology. The corresponding invariants are robust to symmetry-preserving perturbations that do not close band gaps, and they also predict the deformation rules of nodal phases. We further demonstrate that spontaneous symmetry breaking in $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric systems is captured by a Chern-Euler description. These results open the door for theoretical and experimental exploration of a rich variety of novel topological phenomena in a wide range of physical platforms.Comment: 42 pages, 12 figure

Braid Protected Topological Band Structures with Unpaired Exceptional Points

We demonstrate the existence of topologically stable unpaired exceptional points (EPs), and construct simple non-Hermitian (NH) tight-binding models exemplifying such remarkable nodal phases. While fermion doubling, i.e. the necessity of compensating the topological charge of a stable nodal point by an anti-dote, rules out a direct counterpart of our findings in the realm of Hermitian semimetals, here we derive how noncommuting braids of complex energy levels may stabilize unpaired EPs. Drawing on this insight, we reveal the occurrence of a single, unpaired EP, manifested as a non-Abelian monopole in the Brillouin zone of a minimal three-band model. This third-order degeneracy represents a sweet spot within a larger topological phase that cannot be fully gapped by any local perturbation. Instead, it may only split into simpler (second-order) degeneracies that can only gap out by pairwise annihilation after having moved around inequivalent large circles of the Brillouin zone. Our results imply the incompleteness of a topological classification based on winding numbers, due to non-Abelian representations of the braid group intertwining three or more complex energy levels, and provide insights into the topological robustness of non-Hermitian systems and their non-Abelian phase transitions.Comment: 5+7 pages, 3+3 figure

Braid-protected topological band structures with unpaired exceptional points

We demonstrate the existence of topologically stable unpaired exceptional points (EPs), and construct simple non-Hermitian (NH) tight-binding models exemplifying such remarkable nodal phases. While fermion doubling, i.e., the necessity of compensating the topological charge of a stable nodal point by an antidote, rules out a direct counterpart of our findings in the realm of Hermitian semimetals, here we derive how nonommuting braids of complex energy levels may stabilize unpaired EPs. Drawing on this insight, we reveal the occurrence of a single, unpaired EP, manifested as a non-Abelian monopole in the Brillouin zone of a minimal three-band model. This third-order degeneracy represents a sweet spot within a larger topological phase that cannot be fully gapped by any local perturbation. Instead, it may only split into simpler (second-order) degeneracies that can only gap out by pairwise annihilation after having moved around inequivalent large circles of the Brillouin zone. Our results imply the incompleteness of a topological classification based on winding numbers, due to non-Abelian representations of the braid group intertwining three or more complex energy levels, and provide insights into the topological robustness of non-Hermitian systems and their non-Abelian phase transitions

Measurement of χ c1 and χ c2 production with s√ = 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

The prompt and non-prompt production cross-sections for the χ c1 and χ c2 charmonium states are measured in pp collisions at s√ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using 4.5 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. The χ c states are reconstructed through the radiative decay χ c → J/ψγ (with J/ψ → μ + μ −) where photons are reconstructed from γ → e + e − conversions. The production rate of the χ c2 state relative to the χ c1 state is measured for prompt and non-prompt χ c as a function of J/ψ transverse momentum. The prompt χ c cross-sections are combined with existing measurements of prompt J/ψ production to derive the fraction of prompt J/ψ produced in feed-down from χ c decays. The fractions of χ c1 and χ c2 produced in b-hadron decays are also measured

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections for Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel at s√=8 TeV with ATLAS

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections are presented for Higgs boson production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV. The analysis is performed in the H → γγ decay channel using 20.3 fb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The signal is extracted using a fit to the diphoton invariant mass spectrum assuming that the width of the resonance is much smaller than the experimental resolution. The signal yields are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution. The pp → H → γγ fiducial cross section is measured to be 43.2 ±9.4(stat.) − 2.9 + 3.2 (syst.) ±1.2(lumi)fb for a Higgs boson of mass 125.4GeV decaying to two isolated photons that have transverse momentum greater than 35% and 25% of the diphoton invariant mass and each with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.37. Four additional fiducial cross sections and two cross-section limits are presented in phase space regions that test the theoretical modelling of different Higgs boson production mechanisms, or are sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model. Differential cross sections are also presented, as a function of variables related to the diphoton kinematics and the jet activity produced in the Higgs boson events. The observed spectra are statistically limited but broadly in line with the theoretical expectations

Search for squarks and gluinos in events with isolated leptons, jets and missing transverse momentum at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing at least one isolated lepton (electron or muon), jets and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s√=8 TeV collected in 2012, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20 fb−1. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. Limits are set on supersymmetric particle masses for various supersymmetric models. Depending on the model, the search excludes gluino masses up to 1.32 TeV and squark masses up to 840 GeV. Limits are also set on the parameters of a minimal universal extra dimension model, excluding a compactification radius of 1/R c = 950 GeV for a cut-off scale times radius (ΛR c) of approximately 30

Measurement of the production of a W boson in association with a charm quark in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of a W boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 4.6 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√ = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. In events in which a W boson decays to an electron or muon, the charm quark is tagged either by its semileptonic decay to a muon or by the presence of a charmed meson. The integrated and differential cross sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the W-boson decay are measured. Results are compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD calculations obtained from various parton distribution function parameterisations. The ratio of the strange-to-down sea-quark distributions is determined to be 0.96+0.26−0.30 at Q 2 = 1.9 GeV2, which supports the hypothesis of an SU(3)-symmetric composition of the light-quark sea. Additionally, the cross-section ratio σ(W + +c¯¯)/σ(W − + c) is compared to the predictions obtained using parton distribution function parameterisations with different assumptions about the s−s¯¯¯ quark asymmetry

Search for squarks and gluinos with the ATLAS detector in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum using √s=8 TeV proton-proton collision data

A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing high-p T jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment in s√=8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. Results are interpreted in a variety of simplified and specific supersymmetry-breaking models assuming that R-parity is conserved and that the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. An exclusion limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the gluino is set at 1330 GeV for a simplified model incorporating only a gluino and the lightest neutralino. For a simplified model involving the strong production of first- and second-generation squarks, squark masses below 850 GeV (440 GeV) are excluded for a massless lightest neutralino, assuming mass degenerate (single light-flavour) squarks. In mSUGRA/CMSSM models with tan β = 30, A 0 = −2m 0 and μ > 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded for masses below 1700 GeV. Additional limits are set for non-universal Higgs mass models with gaugino mediation and for simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos, each decaying to a top squark and a top quark, with the top squark decaying to a charm quark and a neutralino. These limits extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous searches with the ATLAS detector