Quantum parametric resonance

The quantum mechanical equivalent of parametric resonance is studied. A simple model of a periodically kicked harmonic oscillator is introduced which can be solved exactly. Classically stable and unstable regions in parameter space are shown to correspond to Floquet operators with qualitatively different properties. Their eigenfunctions, which are calculated exactly, exhibit a transition: for parameter values with classically stable solutions the eigenstates are normalizable while they cannot be normalized for parameter values with classically unstable solutions. Similarly, the spectrum of quasi energies undergoes a specific transition. These observations remain valid qualitatively for arbitrary linear systems exhibiting classically parametric resonance such as the paradigm example of a frequency modulated pendulum described by Mathieu's equation

Landscape of uncertainty in Hilbert space for one-particle states

The functional of uncertainty J[¿] assigns to each state ¿¿> the product of the variances of the momentum and position operators. Its first and second variations are investigated. Each stationary point is located on one of a countable set of three-dimensional manifolds in Hilbert space. For a harmonic oscillator with given mass and frequency the extremals are identified as displaced squeezed energy eigenstates. The neighborhood of the stationary states is found to have the structure of a saddle, thus completing the picture of the landscape of uncertainty in Hilbert space. This result follows from the diagonalization of the second variation of the uncertainty functional, which is not straightforward since J[¿] depends nonlinearly on the state ¿¿>

Quantum Particle on a Rotating Loop: Topological Quenching due to a Coriolis-Aharonov-Bohm Effect

A particle is assumed to move along a one-dimensional loop such as an ellipse that rotates in a plane. Because of the centrifugal force the particle is subjected to a symmetric double-well potential. Classically, the Coriolis force does not affect the motion of the particle, whereas the corresponding term in the Lagrangian influences the properties of the quantum system: its ground state turns out to be degenerate for a discrete set of angular velocities. The analogy between a constant magnetic field and a uniform rotation is used to propose, in addition, a variant of the Aharonov-Bohm experiment, which can be performed also with neutral particles

Completeness and orthonormality in PT-symmetric quantum systems

Some PT-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonians have only real eigenvalues. There is numerical evidence that the associated PT-invariant energy eigenstates satisfy an unconventional completeness relation. An ad hoc scalar product among the states is positive definite only if a recently introduced "charge operator" is included in its definition. A simple derivation of the conjectured completeness and orthonormality relations is given. It exploits the fact that PT symmetry provides a link between the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian and those of its adjoint, forming a dual pair of bases. The charge operator emerges naturally upon expressing the properties of the dual bases in terms of one basis only, and it is shown to be a function of the Hamiltonian

Gauge transformations for a driven quantum particle in an infinite square well

Quantum mechanics of a particle in an infinite square well under the influence of a time-dependent electric field is reconsidered. In some gauge, the Hamiltonian depends linearly on the momentum operator which is symmetric but not self-adjoint when defined on a finite interval. In spite of this symmetric part, the Hamiltonian operator is shown to be self-adjoint. This follows from a theorem by Kato and Rellich which guarantees the stability of a self-adjoint operator under certain symmetric perturbations. The result, which has been assumed tacitly by other authors, is important in order to establish the equivalence of different Hamiltonian operators related to each other by quantum gauge transformations. Implications for the quantization procedure of a particle in a box are pointed out

Discrete Q- and P-symbols for spin s

Non-orthogonal bases of projectors on coherent states are introduced to expand Hermitean operators acting on the Hilbert space of a spin s. It is shown that the expectation values of a Hermitean operator (A) over cap in a family of (2s + 1)(2) spin-coherent states determine the operator unambiguously. In other words, knowing the Q-symbol of (A) over cap at (2s + 1)(2) points on the unit sphere is already sufficient in order to recover the operator. This provides a straightforward method to reconstruct the mixed state of a spin since its density matrix is explicitly parametrized in terms of expectation values. Furthermore, a discrete P-symbol emerges naturally which is related to a basis dual to the original one

Upper quantum Lyapunov Exponent and Anosov relations for quantum systems driven by a classical flow

We generalize the definition of quantum Anosov properties and the related Lyapunov exponents to the case of quantum systems driven by a classical flow, i.e. skew-product systems. We show that the skew Anosov properties can be interpreted as regular Anosov properties in an enlarged Hilbert space, in the framework of a generalized Floquet theory. This extension allows us to describe the hyperbolicity properties of almost-periodic quantum parametric oscillators and we show that their upper Lyapunov exponents are positive and equal to the Lyapunov exponent of the corresponding classical parametric oscillators. As second example, we show that the configurational quantum cat system satisfies quantum Anosov properties.Comment: 17 pages, no figur

Coherent states and the reconstruction of pure spin states

Coherent states provide an appealing method to reconstruct efficiently the pure state of a quantum mechanical spin s. A Stern-Gerlach apparatus is used to measure (4s + 1) expectations of projection operators on appropriate coherent states in the unknown state. These measurements are compatible with a finite number of states which can be distinguished, in the generic case, by measuring one more probability. In addition, the present technique shows that the zeros of a Husimi distribution do have an operational meaning: they can be identified directly by measurements with a Stem-Gerlach apparatus. This result comes down to saying that it is possible to resolve experimentally structures in quantum phase space which are smaller than (h) over bar

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

On the Impossibility to Extend Triples of Mutually Unbiased Product Bases in Dimension Six

An analytic proof is given which shows that it is impossible to extend any triple of mutually unbiased (MU) product bases in dimension six by a single MU vector. Furthermore, the 16 states obtained by removing two orthogonal states from any MU product triple cannot figure in a (hypothetical) complete set of seven MU bases. These results follow from exploiting the structure of MU product bases in a novel fashion, and they are among the strongest ones obtained for MU bases in dimension six without recourse to computer algebra.Comment: 12 pages, identical to published versio