Classical Trajectories for Complex Hamiltonians

It has been found that complex non-Hermitian quantum-mechanical Hamiltonians may have entirely real spectra and generate unitary time evolution if they possess an unbroken \cP\cT symmetry. A well-studied class of such Hamiltonians is $H= p^2+x^2(ix)^\epsilon$ ($\epsilon\geq0$). This paper examines the underlying classical theory. Specifically, it explores the possible trajectories of a classical particle that is governed by this class of Hamiltonians. These trajectories exhibit an extraordinarily rich and elaborate structure that depends sensitively on the value of the parameter $\epsilon$ and on the initial conditions. A system for classifying complex orbits is presented.Comment: 24 pages, 34 figure

Effect of Wavefunction Renormalisation in N-Flavour Qed3 at Finite Temperature

A recent study of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in N-flavour QED$_3$ at finite temperature is extended to include the effect of fermion wavefunction renormalisation in the Schwinger-Dyson equations. The simple ``zero-frequency'' truncation previously used is found to lead to unphysical results, especially as $T \to 0$. A modified set of equations is proposed, whose solutions behave in a way which is qualitatively similar to the $T=0$ solutions of Pennington et al. [5-8] who have made extensive studies of the effect of wavefunction renormalisation in this context, and who concluded that there was no critical $N_c$ (at T=0) above which chiral symmetry was restored. In contrast, we find that our modified equations predict a critical $N_c$ at $T \not= 0$, and an $N-T$ phase diagram very similar to the earlier study neglecting wavefunction renormalisation. The reason for the difference is traced to the different infrared behaviour of the vacuum polarisation at $T=0$ and at $T \not= 0$.Comment: 17 pages + 13 figures (available upon request), Oxford preprint OUTP-93-30P, IFUNAM preprint FT94-39, LaTe

Effect of retardation on dynamical mass generation in two-dimensional QED at finite temperature

The effect of retardation on dynamical mass generation in is studied, in the imaginary time formalism. The photon porarization tensor is evaluated to leading order in 1/N (N is the number of flavours), and simple closed form expressions are found for the fully retarded longitudinal and transverse propagators, which have the correct limit when T goes to zero. The resulting S-D equation for the fermion mass (at order 1/N) has an infrared divergence associated with the contribution of the transverse photon propagator; only the longitudinal contribution is retained, as in earlier treatments. For solutions of constant mass, it is found that the retardation reduces the value of the parameter r (the ratio of twice the mass to the critical temperature) from about 10 to about 6. The gap equation is then solved allowing for the mass to depend on frequency. It was found that the r value remained close to 6. Possibilities for including the transverse propagator are discussed.Comment: 26 pages 8 figure

Instanton Calculus and SUSY Gauge Theories on ALE Manifolds

We study instanton effects along the Coulomb branch of an N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with gauge group SU(2) on Asymptotically Locally Euclidean (ALE) spaces. We focus our attention on an Eguchi-Hanson gravitational background and on gauge field configurations of lowest Chern class.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX file. Extended version to be published in Physical Review

Chirality of wave functions for three coalescing levels

The coalescence of three levels has particular attractive features. Even though it may be difficult to realise such event in the laboratory (three additional real parameters must be adjusted), to take up the challenge seems worthwhile. In the same way as the chiral behaviour of a usual EP can give a direction on a line, the state vectors in the vicinity of an EP3 provide an orientation in the plane. The distinction between left and right handedness depends on the distribution of the widths of the three levels in the vicinity of the point of coalescence.Comment: Manuscript has been discussed in June 2007 with the experimental group under Professor Achim Richter at the TU Darmstadt. It has been presented at the 6th International Workshop on Pseudo Hermitian Hamiltonians, London, 16-18 July 2007. An expanded version is being prepared for publication. 3 Figures, 11 page

Heterotic/type I duality, D-instantons and an N=2 AdS/CFT correspondence

D-instanton effects are studied for the IIB orientifold T^2/I\Omega(-1)^{F_L} of Sen using type I/heterotic duality. An exact one loop threshold calculation of t_8 \tr F^4 and t_8(\tr F^2)^2 terms for the heterotic string on T^2 with Wilson lines breaking SO(32) to SO(8)^4 is related to D-instanton induced terms in the worldvolume of D7 branes in the orientifold. Introducing D3 branes and using the AdS/CFT correspondence in this case, these terms are used to calculate Yang-Mills instanton contributions to four point functions of the large N_c limit of N=2 USp(2N_c) SYM with four fundamental and one antisymmetric tensor hypermultiplets.Comment: 25 pages, harvmac(b), one figure, v2: minor changes, version to appear in PR

On the determinant representations of Gaudin models' scalar products and form factors

We propose alternative determinant representations of certain form factors and scalar products of states in rational Gaudin models realized in terms of compact spins. We use alternative pseudo-vacuums to write overlaps in terms of partition functions with domain wall boundary conditions. Contrarily to Slavnovs determinant formulas, this construction does not require that any of the involved states be solutions to the Bethe equations; a fact that could prove useful in certain non-equilibrium problems. Moreover, by using an atypical determinant representation of the partition functions, we propose expressions for the local spin raising and lowering operators form factors which only depend on the eigenvalues of the conserved charges. These eigenvalues define eigenstates via solutions of a system of quadratic equations instead of the usual Bethe equations. Consequently, the current work allows important simplifications to numerical procedures addressing decoherence in Gaudin models.Comment: 15 pages, 0 figures, Published versio

Negative-energy PT-symmetric Hamiltonians

The non-Hermitian PT-symmetric quantum-mechanical Hamiltonian $H=p^2+x^2(ix)^\epsilon$ has real, positive, and discrete eigenvalues for all $\epsilon\geq 0$. These eigenvalues are analytic continuations of the harmonic-oscillator eigenvalues $E_n=2n+1$ (n=0, 1, 2, 3, ...) at $\epsilon=0$. However, the harmonic oscillator also has negative eigenvalues $E_n=-2n-1$ (n=0, 1, 2, 3, ...), and one may ask whether it is equally possible to continue analytically from these eigenvalues. It is shown in this paper that for appropriate PT-symmetric boundary conditions the Hamiltonian $H=p^2+x^2(ix)^\epsilon$ also has real and {\it negative} discrete eigenvalues. The negative eigenvalues fall into classes labeled by the integer N (N=1, 2, 3, ...). For the Nth class of eigenvalues, $\epsilon$ lies in the range $(4N-6)/3<\epsilon<4N-2$. At the low and high ends of this range, the eigenvalues are all infinite. At the special intermediate value $\epsilon=2N-2$ the eigenvalues are the negatives of those of the conventional Hermitian Hamiltonian $H=p^2+x^{2N}$. However, when $\epsilon\neq 2N-2$, there are infinitely many complex eigenvalues. Thus, while the positive-spectrum sector of the Hamiltonian $H=p^2+x^2(ix)^\epsilon$ has an unbroken PT symmetry (the eigenvalues are all real), the negative-spectrum sector of $H=p^2+x^2(ix)^\epsilon$ has a broken PT symmetry (only some of the eigenvalues are real).Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Complex Extension of Quantum Mechanics

It is shown that the standard formulation of quantum mechanics in terms of Hermitian Hamiltonians is overly restrictive. A consistent physical theory of quantum mechanics can be built on a complex Hamiltonian that is not Hermitian but satisfies the less restrictive and more physical condition of space-time reflection symmetry (PT symmetry). Thus, there are infinitely many new Hamiltonians that one can construct to explain experimental data. One might expect that a quantum theory based on a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian would violate unitarity. However, if PT symmetry is not spontaneously broken, it is possible to construct a previously unnoticed physical symmetry C of the Hamiltonian. Using C, an inner product is constructed whose associated norm is positive definite. This construction is completely general and works for any PT-symmetric Hamiltonian. Observables exhibit CPT symmetry, and the dynamics is governed by unitary time evolution. This work is not in conflict with conventional quantum mechanics but is rather a complex generalisation of it.Comment: 4 Pages, Version to appear in PR

Canonical Expansion of PT-Symmetric Operators and Perturbation Theory

Let $H$ be any \PT symmetric Schr\"odinger operator of the type $-\hbar^2\Delta+(x_1^2+...+x_d^2)+igW(x_1,...,x_d)$ on $L^2(\R^d)$, where $W$ is any odd homogeneous polynomial and $g\in\R$. It is proved that $\P H$ is self-adjoint and that its eigenvalues coincide (up to a sign) with the singular values of $H$, i.e. the eigenvalues of $\sqrt{H^\ast H}$. Moreover we explicitly construct the canonical expansion of $H$ and determine the singular values $\mu_j$ of $H$ through the Borel summability of their divergent perturbation theory. The singular values yield estimates of the location of the eigenvalues \l_j of $H$ by Weyl's inequalities.Comment: 20 page