No abstract

A non-Hermitian complex symmetric 2 × 2 matrix toy model is used to study projective Hilbert space structures in the vicinity of exceptional points (EPs). The bi-orthogonal eigenvectors of a diagonalizable matrix are Puiseuxexpanded in terms of the root vectors at the EP. It is shown that the apparent contradiction between the two incompatible normalization conditions with finite and singular behavior in the EP-limit can be resolved by projectively extending the original Hilbert space. The complementary normalization conditions correspond then to two different affine charts of this enlarged projective Hilbert space. Geometric phase and phase jump behavior are analyzed and the usefulness of the phase rigidity as measure for the distance to EP configurations is demonstrated. Finally, EP-related aspects of PT −symmetrically extended Quantum Mechanics are discussed and a conjecture concerning the quantum brachistochrone problem is formulated.

The quantum mechanical brachistochrone system with a PT-symmetric Hamiltonian is Naimark-dilated and reinterpreted as a subsystem of a Hermitian system in a higher-dimensional Hilbert space. This opens a way to a direct experimental implementation of the recently hypothesized PT-symmetric ultrafast brachistochrone regime of Bender et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 040403 (2007)] in an entangled two-spin system.

The technique of differential intertwining operators (or Darboux transformation operators) is systematically applied to the one-dimensional Dirac equation. The following aspects are investigated: factorization of a polynomial of Dirac Hamiltonians, quadratic supersymmetry, closed extension of transformation operators, chains of transformations, and finally particular cases of pseudoscalar and scalar potentials. The method is widely illustrated by numerous examples