Metrics and isospectral partners for the most generic cubic PT-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonian

We investigate properties of the most general PT-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonian of cubic order in the annihilation and creation operators as a ten parameter family. For various choices of the parameters we systematically construct an exact expression for a metric operator and an isospectral Hermitian counterpart in the same similarity class by exploiting the isomorphism between operator and Moyal products. We elaborate on the subtleties of this approach. For special choices of the ten parameters the Hamiltonian reduces to various models previously studied, such as to the complex cubic potential, the so-called Swanson Hamiltonian or the transformed version of the from below unbounded quartic -x^4-potential. In addition, it also reduces to various models not considered in the present context, namely the single site lattice Reggeon model and a transformed version of the massive sextic x^6-potential, which plays an important role as a toy modelto identify theories with vanishing cosmological constant.Comment: 21 page

Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians of Lie algebraic type

We analyse a class of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, which can be expressed bilinearly in terms of generators of a sl(2,R)-Lie algebra or their isomorphic su(1,1)-counterparts. The Hamlitonians are prototypes for solvable models of Lie algebraic type. Demanding a real spectrum and the existence of a well defined metric, we systematically investigate the constraints these requirements impose on the coupling constants of the model and the parameters in the metric operator. We compute isospectral Hermitian counterparts for some of the original non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Alternatively we employ a generalized Bogoliubov transformation, which allows to compute explicitly real energy eigenvalue spectra for these type of Hamiltonians, together with their eigenstates. We compare the two approaches.Comment: 27 page

Metric operators for non-Hermitian quadratic su(2) Hamiltonians

A class of non-Hermitian quadratic su(2) Hamiltonians having an anti-linear symmetry is constructed. This is achieved by analysing the possible symmetries of such systems in terms of automorphisms of the algebra. In fact, different realisations for this type of symmetry are obtained, including the natural occurrence of charge conjugation together with parity and time reversal. Once specified the underlying anti-linear symmetry of the Hamiltonian, the former, if unbroken, leads to a purely real spectrum and the latter can be mapped to a Hermitian counterpart by, amongst other possibilities, a similarity transformation. Here, Lie-algebraic methods which were used to investigate the generalised Swanson Hamiltonian are employed to identify the class of quadratic Hamiltonians that allow for such a mapping to the Hermitian counterpart. Whereas for the linear su(2) system every Hamiltonian of this type can be mapped to a Hermitian counterpart by a transformation which is itself an exponential of a linear combination of su(2) generators, the situation is more complicated for quadratic Hamiltonians. Therefore, the possibility of more elaborate similarity transformations, including quadratic exponents, is also explored in detail. The existence of finite dimensional representations for the su(2) Hamiltonian, as opposed to the su(1,1) studied before, allows for comparison with explicit diagonalisation results for finite matrices. Finally, the similarity transformations constructed are compared with the analogue of Swanson's method for exact diagonalsation of the problem, establishing a simple relation between both approaches.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure

The quantum brachistochrone problem for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

Recently Bender, Brody, Jones and Meister found that in the quantum brachistochrone problem the passage time needed for the evolution of certain initial states into specified final states can be made arbitrarily small, when the time-evolution operator is taken to be non-Hermitian but PT-symmetric. Here we demonstrate that such phenomena can also be obtained for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians for which PT-symmetry is completely broken, i.e. dissipative systems. We observe that the effect of a tunable passage time can be achieved by projecting between orthogonal eigenstates by means of a time-evolution operator associated with a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. It is not essential that this Hamiltonian is PT-symmetric

Quantum isotonic nonlinear oscillator as a Hermitian counterpart of Swanson Hamiltonian and pseudo-supersymmetry

Within the ideas of pseudo-supersymmetry, we have studied a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian H_{-}=\omega(\xi^{\dag} \xi+\1/2)+\alpha \xi^{2}+\beta \xi^{\dag 2}, where $\alpha \neq \beta$ and $\xi$ is a first order differential operator, to obtain the partner potentials $V_{+}(x)$ and $V_{-}(x)$ which are new isotonic and isotonic nonlinear oscillators, respectively, as the Hermitian equivalents of the non-Hermitian partner Hamiltonians $H_{\pm}$. We have provided an algebraic way to obtain the spectrum and wavefunctions of a nonlinear isotonic oscillator. The solutions of $V_{-}(x)$ which are Hermitian counterparts of Swanson Hamiltonian are obtained under some parameter restrictions that are found. Also, we have checked that if the intertwining operator satisfies $\eta_{1} H_{-}=H_{+} \eta_{1}$, where $\eta_{1}=\rho^{-1} \mathcal{A} \rho$ and $\mathcal{A}$ is the first order differential operator, which factorizes Hermitian equivalents of $H_{\pm}$.Comment: 11 page

Integrable models from PT-symmetric deformations

We address the question of whether integrable models allow for PT-symmetric deformations which preserve their intgrability. For this purpose we carry out the Painleve test for PT-symmetric deformations of Burgers and the Korteweg-De Vries equation. We find that the former equation allows for infinitely many deformations which pass the Painleve test. For a specific deformation we prove the convergence of the Painleve expansion and thus establish the Painleve property for these models, which are therefore thought to be integrable. The Korteweg-De Vries equation does not allow for deformations which pass the Painleve test in complete generality, but we are able to construct a defective Painleve expansion.Comment: 14 pages Late

Compactons versus Solitons

We investigate whether the recently proposed PT-symmetric extensions of generalized Korteweg-de Vries equations admit genuine soliton solutions besides compacton solitary waves. For models which admit stable compactons having a width which is independent of their amplitude and those which possess unstable compacton solutions the Painleve test fails, such that no soliton solutions can be found. The Painleve test is passed for models allowing for compacton solutions whose width is determined by their amplitude. Consequently these models admit soliton solutions in addition to compactons and are integrable.Comment: 4 page

A well-kept treasure at depth: precious red coral rediscovered in Atlantic deep coral gardens (SW Portugal) after 300 years

The highly valuable red coral Corallium rubrum is listed in several Mediterranean Conventions for species protection and management since the 1980s. Yet, the lack of data about its Atlantic distribution has hindered its protection there. This culminated in the recent discovery of poaching activities harvesting tens of kg of coral per day from deep rocky reefs off SW Portugal. Red coral was irregularly exploited in Portugal between the 1200s and 1700s, until the fishery collapsed. Its occurrence has not been reported for the last 300 years.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio