Singular $$ \mathcal{R}$$ -Matrices and Drinfeld's Comultiplication

We compute the $\mathcal{R}$ -matrix which intertwines two dimensional evaluation representations with Drinfeld comultiplication for ${\text{U}}_q \left( {\widehat{{\text{sl}}}_{\text{2}} } \right)$ . This $\mathcal{R}$ -matrix contains terms proportional to the δ-function. We construct the algebra $A\left( \mathcal{R} \right)$ generated by the elements of the matrices L^±(z) with relations determined by $\mathcal{R}$ . In the category of highest-weight representations, there is a Hopf algebra isomorphism between $A\left( \mathcal{R} \right)$ and an extension $\overline {\text{U}} _q \left( {\widehat{{\text{sl}}}_{\text{2}} } \right)$ of Drinfeld's algebra.     

${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetry berry phases,topology and ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetry breaking

We study the complex Berry phases in non-Hermitian systems with parity- and time-reversal $\left({ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }\right)$ symmetry. We investigate a kind of two-level system with ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$ symmetry. We find that the real part of the the complex Berry phases have two quantized values and they are equal to either 0 or π, which originates from the topology of the Hermitian eigenstates. We also find that if we change the relative parameters of the Hamiltonian from the unbroken-${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetry phase to the broken-${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetry phase, the imaginary part of the complex Berry phases are divergent at the exceptional points. We exhibit two concrete examples in this work, one is a two-level toys model, which has nontrivial Berry phases; the other is the generalized Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) model that has physical loss and gain in every sublattice. Our results explicitly demonstrate the relation between complex Berry phases, topology and ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetry breaking and enrich the field of the non-Hermitian physics.     

Comparative analysis of real and \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}-symmetric Scarf potentials

The Scarf I and Scarf II potentials are discussed within a common mathematical framework, which is then specified to handle the two potentials separately both in the conventional Hermitian and in the -symmetric setting. The physically admissible solutions are identified in each case together with the corresponding energy eigenvalues. Several main differences between the -symmetric Scarf I and II potentials are pointed out. These include the presence and absence of the quasi-parity quantum number, the sign of the pseudo-norm, the mechanism of the spontaneous breakdown of symmetry and the non- orthogonality of otherwise admissible solutions in the Scarf I potential. Similarities and differences with respect to the corresponding Hermitian systems are also pointed out.     

Point Interactions: $$\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$$ -Hermiticity and Reality of the Spectrum

General point interactions for the second derivative operator in one dimension are studied. In particular, -self-adjoint point interactions with the support at the origin and at points ±l are considered. The spectrum of such non-Hermitian operators is investigated and conditions when the spectrum is pure real are presented. The results are compared with those for standard self-adjoint point interactions.     

Krein-space formulation of \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} symmetry, \mathcal{C}\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}-inner products, and pseudo-Hermiticity

Emphasizing the physical constraints on the formulation of the quantum theory, based on the standard measurement axiom and the Schrödinger equation, we comment on some conceptual issues arising in the formulation of the $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$ -symmetric quantum mechanics. In particular, we elaborate on the requirements of the boundedness of the metric operator and the diagonalizability of the Hamiltonian. We also provide an accessible account of a Krein-space derivation of the $\mathcal{C}\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$ -inner product, that was widely known to mathematicians since 1950’s. We show how this derivation is linked with the pseudo-Hermitian formulation of the $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$ -symmetric quantum mechanics.     

Parity anomaly in a \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}-symmetric quartic Hamiltonian

In this paper, two independent methods are used to show that the non-Hermitian -symmetric wrong-sign quartic Hamiltonian H = (1/2m)p ² − gx ⁴ is exactly equivalent to the conventional Hermitian Hamiltonian . First, this equivalence is demonstrated by using elementary differential-equation techniques and second, it is demonstrated by using functional-integration methods. As the linear term in the Hermitian Hamiltonian is proportional to ℏ, this term is anomalous; that is, the linear term in the potential has no classical analog. The anomaly is a consequence of the broken parity symmetry of the original non-Hermitian -symmetric Hamiltonian. The anomaly term in remains unchanged if an x ² term is introduced into H. When such a quadratic term is present in H, this Hamiltonian possesses bound states. The corresponding bound states in are a direct physical measure of the anomaly. If there were no anomaly term, there would be no bound states.     

Generalization of the $$\mathcal{U} $$ q (gl(N)) Algebra and Staggered Models

We develop a technique for the construction of integrable models with a ₂ grading of both the auxiliary (chain) and quantum (time) spaces. These models have a staggered disposition of the anisotropy parameter. The corresponding Yang–Baxter equations are written down and their solution for the gl(N) case is found. We analyze in details the N = 2 case and find the corresponding quantum group behind this solution. It can be regarded as the quantum group , with a matrix deformation parameter q such that (q )² = q ². The symmetry behind these models can also be interpreted as the tensor product of the (–1)-Weyl algebra by an extension of _q (gl(N)) with a Cartan generator related to deformation parameter –1.     

Spontaneous breakdown of $$ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $$ symmetry in the complex Coulomb potential

The $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} symmetry of the Coulomb potential and its solutions are studied along trajectories satisfying the $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} symmetry requirement. It is shown that with appropriate normalization constant the general solutions can be chosen $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} -symmetric if the L parameter that corresponds to angular momentum in the Hermitian case is real. $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} symmetry is spontaneously broken, however, for complex L values of the form L = −1/2 + iλ. In this case the potential remains $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} -symmetric, while the two independent solutions are transformed to each other by the $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} operation and at the same time, the two series of discrete energy eigenvalues turn into each other’s complex conjugate.     

On a few new quantization recipes using \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}-symmetry

A review of a few recent developments in our analysis and applications of the coupled-channel version of the formalism of -symmetric quantum mechanics is given.     

One-dimensional $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric acoustic heterostructure

The explorations of parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$)-symmetric acoustics have resided at the frontier in physics, and the pre-existing accessing of exceptional points typically depends on Fabry-Perot resonances of the coupling interlayer sandwiched between balanced gain and loss components. Nevertheless, the concise $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric acoustic heterostructure, eliminating extra interactions caused by the interlayer, has not been researched in depth. Here we derive the generalized unitary relation for one-dimensional (1D) $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric heterostructure of arbitrary complexity, and demonstrate four disparate patterns of anisotropic transmission resonances (ATRs) accompanied by corresponding spontaneous phase transitions. As a special case of ATR, the occasional bidirectional transmission resonance reconsolidates the ATR frequencies that split when waves incident from opposite directions, whose spatial profiles distinguish from a unitary structure. The derived theoretical relation can serve as a predominant signature for the presence of $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry and $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry-breaking transition, which may provide substantial support for the development of prototype devices with asymmetric acoustic responses.     

Effective Potential for \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}-Symmetric Quantum Field Theories

Recently, a class of -invariant scalar quantum field theories described by the non-Hermitian Lagrangian = () ² +g ² (i) was studied. It was found that there are two regions of . For <0 the -invariance of the Lagrangian is spontaneously broken, and as a consequence, all but the lowest-lying energy levels are complex. For 0 the -invariance of the Lagrangian is unbroken, and the entire energy spectrum is real and positive. The subtle transition at =0 is not well understood. In this paper we initiate an investigation of this transition by carrying out a detailed numerical study of the effective potential V _eff (_c) in zero-dimensional spacetime. Although this numerical work reveals some differences between the <0 and the >0 regimes, we cannot yet see convincing evidence of the transition at =0 in the structure of the effective potential for -symmetric quantum field theories.     

Anti-$\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric Kerr gyroscope

Non-Hermitian systems can exhibit unconventional spectral singularities called exceptional points (EPs). Various EP sensors have been fabricated in recent years, showing strong spectral responses to external signals. Here we propose how to achieve a nonlinear anti-parity-time ($\mathcal{APT}$) gyroscope by spinning an optical resonator. We show that, in the absence of any nonlinearity, the sensitivity or optical mode splitting of the linear device can be magnified up to 3 orders compared to that of the conventional device without EPs. Remarkably, the $\mathcal{APT}$ symmetry can be broken when including the Kerr nonlinearity of the materials and, as a result, the detection threshold can be significantly lowered, i.e., much weaker rotations which are well beyond the ability of a linear gyroscope can now be detected with the nonlinear device. Our work shows the powerful ability of $\mathcal{APT}$ gyroscopes in practice to achieve ultrasensitive rotation measurement.     

Regular Strongly Typical Blocks of $${\mathcal{O}^{\mathfrak {q}}}$$

We use the technique of Harish-Chandra bimodules to prove that regular strongly typical blocks of the category for the queer Lie superalgebra are equivalent to the corresponding blocks of the category for the Lie algebra .     

Geometry of time-dependent $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric quantum mechanics

A new type of quantum theory known as time-dependent $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric quantum mechanics has received much attention recently. It has a conceptually intriguing feature of equipping the Hilbert space of a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric system with a time-varying inner product. In this work, we explore the geometry of time-dependent $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric quantum mechanics. We find that a geometric phase can emerge naturally from the cyclic evolution of a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric system, and further formulate a series of related differential-geometry concepts, including connection, curvature, parallel transport, metric tensor, and quantum geometric tensor. These findings constitute a useful, perhaps indispensible, tool to investigate geometric properties of $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric systems with time-varying system's parameters. To exemplify the application of our findings, we show that the unconventional geometric phase [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 187902 (2003)], which is the sum of a geometric phase and a dynamical phase proportional to the geometric phase, can be expressed as a single geometric phase unveiled in this work.     

New quasi-exactly solvable Hermitian as well as non-Hermitian $$ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $$-invariant potentials

We start with quasi-exactly solvable (QES) Hermitian (and hence real) as well as complex $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} -invariant, double sinh-Gordon potential and show that even after adding perturbation terms, the resulting potentials, in both cases, are still QES potentials. Further, by using anti-isospectral transformations, we obtain Hermitian as well as $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} -invariant complex QES periodic potentials. We study in detail the various properties of the corresponding Bender-Dunne polynomials.     

Oscillatory stability of quantum droplets in $\text{}{ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric optical lattice

We study stability and collisions of quantum droplets (QDs) forming in a binary bosonic condensate trapped in parity-time (${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$)-symmetric optical lattices. It is found that the stability of QDs in the ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric system depends strongly on the values of the imaginary part W₀ of the ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric optical lattices, self-repulsion strength g, and the condensate norm N. As expected, the ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric QDs are entirely unstable in the broken ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric phase. However, the ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric QDs exhibit oscillatory stability with the increase of N and g in the unbroken ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric phase. Finally, collisions between ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric QDs are considered. The collisions of droplets with unequal norms are completely different from that in free space. Besides, a stable ${ \mathcal P }{ \mathcal T }$-symmetric QDs collides with an unstable ones tend to merge into breathers after the collision.     

$\mathcal{PT}$-Symmetric Periodic Optical Potentials

In quantum theory, any Hamiltonian describing a physical system is mathematically represented by a self-adjoint linear operator to ensure the reality of the associated observables. In an attempt to extend quantum mechanics into the complex domain, it was realized few years ago that certain non-Hermitian parity-time (PT\mathcal{PT}) symmetric Hamiltonians can exhibit an entirely real spectrum. Much of the reported progress has been remained theoretical, and therefore hasn’t led to a viable experimental proposal for which non Hermitian quantum effects could be observed in laboratory experiments. Quite recently however, it was suggested that the concept of PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetry could be physically realized within the framework of classical optics. This proposal has, in turn, stimulated extensive investigations and research studies related to PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetric Optics and paved the way for the first experimental observation of PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetry breaking in any physical system. In this paper, we present recent results regarding PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetric Optics.     

Scarcity of real discrete eigenvalues in non-analytic complex $$ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $$-symmetric potentials

We find that a non-differentiability occurring whether in real or imaginary part of a complex $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} -symmetric potential causes a scarcity of the real discrete eigenvalues despite the real part alone possessing an infinite spectrum. We demonstrate this by perturbing the real potentials x ² and |x| by imaginary $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} -symmetric potentials ix/it|x| and ix, respectively.     

Isospectrality of conventional and new extended potentials,second-order supersymmetry and role of $$ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $$ symmetry

We develop a systematic approach to construct novel completely solvable rational potentials. Second-order supersymmetric quantum mechanics dictates the latter to be isospectral to some well-studied quantum systems. $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} $ \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} symmetry may facilitate reconciling our approach to the requirement that the rationally extended potentials be singularity free. Some examples are shown.