An Algorithmic Test for Diagonalizability of Finite-Dimensional PT-Invariant Systems

A non-Hermitean operator does not necessarily have a complete set of eigenstates, contrary to a Hermitean one. An algorithm is presented which allows one to decide whether the eigenstates of a given PT-invariant operator on a finite-dimensional space are complete or not. In other words, the algorithm checks whether a given PT-symmetric matrix is diagonalizable. The procedure neither requires to calculate any single eigenvalue nor any numerical approximation.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur

A quantum search for zeros of polynomials

A quantum mechanical search procedure to determine the real zeros of a polynomial is introduced. It is based on the construction of a spin observable whose eigenvalues coincide with the zeros of the polynomial. Subsequent quantum mechanical measurements of the observable output directly the numerical values of the zeros. Performing the measurements is the only computational resource involved

Integrability and level crossing manifolds in a quantum Hamiltonian system

We consider a two-spin model, represented classically by a nonlinear autonomous Hamiltonian system with two degrees of freedom and a nontrivial integrability condition, and quantum mechanically by a real symmetric Hamiltonian matrix with blocks of dimensionalities K=l(l+1)/2, l=1,2,... In the six-dimensional (6D) parameter space of this model, classical integrability is satisfied on a 5D hypersurface, and level crossings occur on 4D manifolds that are completely embedded in the integrability hypersurface except for some lower-D sub-manifolds. Under mild assumptions, the classical integrability condition can be reconstructed from a purely quantum mechanical study of level degeneracies in finite-dimensional invariant blocks of the Hamiltonian matrix. Our conclusions are based on rigorous results for K=3 and on numerical results for K=6,10.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Nachtrag: Mindestlohn, Mütterrente, Pkw-Maut: Geht die Koalitionsvereinbarung zu Lasten der Wirtschaft und der Steuerzahler?

Ergänzend zu den Beiträgen im ifo Schnelldienst Nr. 2/2014 äußern sich Christoph M. Schmidt, RWI und Sachverständigenrat und Benjamin Weigert, Sachverständigenrat, zu den Koalitionsvereinbarungen. Ihrer Ansicht nach vernachlässigt die Wirtschaftspolitik die Frage, wie die Herausforderungen der Zukunft gemeistert werden sollen

PT-symmetry and its spontaneous breakdown explained by anti-linearity

The impact of an anti-unitary symmetry on the spectrum of non-Hermitian operators is studied. Wigner's normal form of an anti-unitary operator accounts for the spectral properties of non-Hermitian, PE-symmetric Harniltonians. The occurrence of either single real or complex conjugate pairs of eigenvalues follows from this theory. The corresponding energy eigenstates span either one- or two-dimensional irreducible representations of the symmetry PE. In this framework, the concept of a spontaneously broken PE-symmetry is not needed

Chaos and quantum-nondemolition measurements

The problem of chaotic behavior in quantum mechanics is investigated against the background of the theory of quantum-nondemolition (QND) measurements. The analysis is based on two relevant features: The outcomes of a sequence of QND measurements are unambiguously predictable, and these measurements actually can be performed on one single system without perturbing its time evolution. Consequently, QND measurements represent an appropriate framework to analyze the conditions for the occurrence of ‘‘deterministic randomness’’ in quantum systems. The general arguments are illustrated by a discussion of a quantum system with a time evolution that possesses nonvanishing algorithmic complexity

Small denominators, frequency operators, and Lie transforms for nearly integrable quantum spin systems

Based on the previously proposed notions of action operators and of quantum integrability, frequency operators are introduced in a fully quantum-mechanical setting. They are conceptually useful because another formulation can be given to unitary perturbation theory. When worked out for quantum spin systems, this variant is found to be formally equivalent to canonical perturbation theory applied to nearly integrable systems consisting of classical spins. In particular, it becomes possible to locate the quantum-mechanical operator-valued equivalent of the frequency denominators that may cause divergence of the classical perturbation series. The results that are established here link the concept of quantum-mechanical integrability to a technical question, namely, the behavior of specific perturbation series

Affine Constellations Without Mutually Unbiased Counterparts

It has been conjectured that a complete set of mutually unbiased bases in a space of dimension d exists if and only if there is an affine plane of order d. We introduce affine constellations and compare their existence properties with those of mutually unbiased constellations, mostly in dimension six. The observed discrepancies make a deeper relation between the two existence problems unlikely.Comment: 8 page

Minimal Informationally Complete Measurements for Pure States

We consider measurements, described by a positive-operator-valued measure (POVM), whose outcome probabilities determine an arbitrary pure state of a D-dimensional quantum system. We call such a measurement a pure-state informationally complete (PSI-complete) POVM. We show that a measurement with 2D-1 outcomes cannot be PSI-complete, and then we construct a POVM with 2D outcomes that suffices, thus showing that a minimal PSI-complete POVM has 2D outcomes. We also consider PSI-complete POVMs that have only rank-one POVM elements and construct an example with 3D-2 outcomes, which is a generalization of the tetrahedral measurement for a qubit. The question of the minimal number of elements in a rank-one PSI-complete POVM is left open.Comment: 2 figures, submitted for the Asher Peres festschrif