We analyze bipartite quantum states that admit a symmetric extension. Any such state can be decomposed into a convex combination of states that allow a _pure_ symmetric extension. A necessary condition for a state to admit a pure symmetric extension is that the spectra of the local and global density matrices are equal. This condition is also sufficient for two qubits, but not for any larger systems. Using this condition we present a conjectured necessary and sufficient condition for a two qubit state to admit symmetric extension, which we prove in some special cases. The results from symmetric extension carry over to degradable and anti-degradable channels and we use this to prove that all degradable channels with qubit output have a qubit environment.
Studies on symmetric extendibility of quantum states become especially important in a context of analysis of one-way quantum measures of entanglement, distilabillity and security of quantum protocols. In this paper we analyse composite systems containing a symmetric extendible part with a particular attention devoted to one-way security of such systems. Further, we introduce a new one-way monotone based on the best symmetric approximation of quantum state. We underpin those results with geometric observations on structures of multi-party settings which posses in sub-spaces substantial symmetri…
Quantum key distribution uses public discussion protocols to establish shared secret keys. In the exploration of ultimate limits to such protocols, the property of symmetric extendibility of underlying bipartite states $ρ_{AB}$ plays an important role. A bipartite state $ρ_{AB}$ is symmetric extendible if there exits a tripartite state $ρ_{ABB'}$, such that the $AB$ marginal state is identical to the $AB'$ marginal state, i.e. $ρ_{AB'}=ρ_{AB}$. For a symmetric extendible state $ρ_{AB}$, the first task of the public discussion protocol is to break this symmetric extendibility. Therefore to char…
Basing on states and channels isomorphism we point out that semidefinite programming can be used as a quick test for nonzero one-way quantum channel capacity. This can be achieved by search of symmetric extensions of states isomorphic to a given quantum channel. With this method we provide examples of quantum channels that can lead to high entanglement transmission but still have zero one-way capacity, in particular, regions of symmetric extendibility for isotropic states in arbitrary dimensions are presented. Further we derive {\it a new entanglement parameter} based on (normalised) relative …
It is believed that unbroken PT symmetry is sufficient to guarantee that the spectrum of a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian is real. We prove that this is not true. We study a Hamiltonian with complex spectrum for which PT symmetry is not spontaneously broken.
Jia and Dutra (J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 39 (2006) 11877) have considered the one-dimensional non-Hermitian complexified potentials with real spectra in the context of position-dependent mass in Dirac equation. In their second example, a smooth step shape mass distribution is considered and a non-Hermitian non - PT- symmetric Lorentz vector potential is obtained. They have mapped this problem into an exactly solvable Rosen-Morse Schrodinger model and claimed that the energy spectrum is real. The energy spectrum they have reported is pure imaginary or at best forms an empty set. Their claim on the…
The spectrum of complex PT-symmetric potential, $V(x)=igx$, is known to be null. We enclose this potential in a hard-box: $V(|x| \ge 1) =\infty $ and in a soft-box: $V(|x|\ge 1)=0$. In the former case, we find real discrete spectrum and the exceptional points of the potential. The asymptotic eigenvalues behave as $E_n \sim n^2.$ The solvable purely imaginary PT-symmetric potentials vanishing asymptotically known so far do not have real discrete spectrum. Our solvable soft-box potential possesses two real negative discrete eigenvalues if $|g|<(1.22330447)$. The soft-box potential turns out to b…
We show that the authors of the commented paper draw their conclusions from the eigenvalues of truncated Hamiltonian matrices that do not converge as the matrix dimension increases. In one of the studied examples the authors missed the real positive eigenvalues that already converge towards the exact eigenvalues of the non-Hermitian operator and focused their attention on the complex ones that do not. We also show that the authors misread Bender's argument about the eigenvalues of the harmonic oscillator with boundary conditions in the complex-$x$ plane (Rep. Prog. Phys. {\bf 70} (2007) 947).
PT symmetric Aubry-Andre model describes an array of N coupled optical waveguides with position dependent gain and loss. We show that the reality of the spectrum depends sensitively on the degree of disorder for small number of lattice sites. We obtain the Hofstadter Butterfly spectrum and discuss the existence of the phase transition from extended to localized states. We show that rapidly changing periodical gain/loss materials almost conserves the total intensity.
The physical condition that the expectation values of physical observables are real quantities is used to give a precise formulation of PT-symmetric quantum mechanics. A mathematically rigorous proof is given to establish the physical equivalence of PT-symmetric and conventional quantum mechanics. The results reported in this paper apply to arbitrary PT-symmetric Hamiltonians with a real and discrete spectrum. They hold regardless of whether the boundary conditions defining the spectrum of the Hamiltonian are given on the real line or a complex contour.
The spectrum of a one-dimensional Hamiltonian with potential $V(x)=ix^2$ for negative $x$ and $V(x)=-ix^2$ for positive $x$ is analyzed. The Schrödinger equation is algebraically solvable and the eigenvalues are obtained as the zeros of an expression explicitly given in terms of Gamma functions. The spectrum consists of one real eigenvalue and an infinite set of pairs of complex conjugate eigenvalues.
We discuss three Hamiltonians, each with a central-field part $H_{0}$ and a PT-symmetric perturbation $igz$. When $H_{0}$ is the isotropic Harmonic oscillator the spectrum is real for all $g$ because $H$ is isospectral to $H_{0}+g^{2}/2$. When $H_{0}$ is the Hydrogen atom then infinitely many eigenvalues are complex for all $g$. If the potential in $H_{0}$ is linear in the radial variable $r$ then the spectrum of $H$ exhibits real eigenvalues for $0<g<g_{c}$ and a PT phase transition at $g_c$.
We investigate the decoherence in a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric qubit coupled with a bosonic bath. Using cannonical transformations, we map the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian representing the$\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric qubit to a spin boson model. Identifying the parameter α that demarcates the hermiticity and non-hermiticity in the model, we show that the qubit does not decohere at the transition from real eigen spectrum to complex eigen spectrum. Using a general class of spectral densities, the strong suppression of decoherence is observed due to both vaccum and thermal fluctuations of the bath, and in…
We propose that the real spectrum and the orthogonality of the states for several known complex potentials of both types, PT-symmetric and non-PT-symmetric can be understood in terms of currently proposed $η$-pseudo-Hermiticity (Mostafazadeh, quant-ph/0107001) of a Hamiltonian, provided the Hermitian linear automorphism, $η$, is introduced as $e^{-θp}$ which affects an imaginary shift of the co-ordinate : $e^{-θp} x e^{θp} = x+iθ$.
We show that the standard techniques that are utilized to study the classical like properties of the pure states for Hermitian systems can be adjusted to investigate the classicality of pure states for non-Hermitian systems. The method is applied to the states of complex-valued potentials that are generated by Darboux transformations and can model both non-PT-symmetric and PT-symmetric oscillators exhibiting real spectra.
There exists multiple branch points in the energy spectrum for some \emph{PT}-symmetric periodic potentials, where the real eigenvalues turn into complex ones. By studying the transmission amplitude for a localized complex potential, we elucidate the physical origin of the breakdown of perturbation method and Born approximation. Mostly importantly, we derive an analytic criteria to determine why, when and where the bifurcation will occur.
Hitherto, it is well known that complex PT-symmetric Scarf II has real discrete spectrum in the parametric domain of unbroken PT-symmetry. We reveal new interesting complex, non-PT-symmetric parametric domains of this versatile potential, $V(x)$, where the spectrum is again discrete and real. Showing that the Hamiltonian, $p^2/2m+V(x)$, in the new cases is pseudo-Hermitian could be challenging, if possible.
It is established that a PT-symmetric elliptic quadratic differential operator with real spectrum is similar to a self-adjoint operator precisely when the associated fundamental matrix has no Jordan blocks.
We investigate the effects of disorder on single particle time-evolution and two-particle correlations in an array of evanescently coupled waveguides with position-dependent tunneling rates. In the clean limit, the energy spectrum of such an array is widely tunable. In the presence of a Hermitian on-site or tunneling disorder, we find that the localization of a wave packet is highly sensitive to this energy spectrum. In particular, for an input confined to a single waveguide, we show that the fraction of light localized to the original waveguide depends on the tunneling profile. We compare the…
We investigate the parametric evolution of the real discrete spectrum of several complex PT symmetric scattering potentials of the type $V(x)=-V_1 F_e(x) + i V_2 F_o(x), V_1>0, F_e(x)>0$ by varying $V_2$ slowly. Here $e,o$ stand for even and odd parity and $F_{e,o}(\pm \infty)=0$. Unlike the case of Scarf II potential, we find a general absence of the recently explored accidental (real to real) crossings of eigenvalues in these scattering potentials. On the other hand, we find a general presence of coalescing of real pairs of eigenvalues to the complex conjugate pairs at a finite number of exc…
A Bose-Einstein condensate in a double-well potential features stationary solutions even for attractive contact interaction as long as the particle number and therefore the interaction strength do not exceed a certain limit. Introducing balanced gain and loss into such a system drastically changes the bifurcation scenario at which these states are created. Instead of two tangent bifurcations at which the symmetric and antisymmetric states emerge, one tangent bifurcation between two formerly independent branches arises [D. Haag et al., Phys. Rev. A 89, 023601 (2014)]. We study this transition i…
We present a numerical study of the spectrum of the Laplacian in an unbounded strip with PT-symmetric boundary conditions. We focus on non-Hermitian features of the model reflected in an unusual dependence of the eigenvalues below the continuous spectrum on various boundary-coupling parameters.
The paper by Bowen, Mancini, Fessatidis, and Murawski (2012 Phys. Scr. {\bf 85}, 065005) demonstrates in a dramatic fashion the serious difficulties that can arise when one rushes to perform numerical studies before understanding the physics and mathematics of the problem at hand and without understanding the limitations of the numerical methods used. Based on their flawed numerical work, the authors conclude that the work of Bender and Boettcher is wrong even though it has been verified at a completely rigorous level. Unfortunately, the numerical procedures performed and described in the pape…
We introduce a planar waveguide of constant width with non-Hermitian PT-symmetric Robin boundary conditions. We study the spectrum of this system in the regime when the boundary coupling function is a compactly supported perturbation of a homogeneous coupling. We prove that the essential spectrum is positive and independent of such perturbation, and that the residual spectrum is empty. Assuming that the perturbation is small in the supremum norm, we show that it gives rise to real weakly-coupled eigenvalues converging to the threshold of the essential spectrum. We derive sufficient conditions …
We demonstrate that the non-Hermitian parity-time (PT) symmetric interfaces formed between amplifying and lossy crystals support dissipationless edge states. These PT edge states exhibit gapless spectra in the complex band structure interconnecting complex-valued bulk bands as long as exceptional points (EPs) of edge states exist. As a result, regimes exist where the edge states can spectrally overlap with the bulk continuum without hybridization, and leakage into the bulk states is suppressed due to the PT symmetry. Two exemplary PT symmetric systems, based on valley and quantum hall topologi…
We propose a non-Hermitian deformation of the Mathieu equation that preserves $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry and study its spectrum and the transition from $\mathcal{PT}$-unbroken to $\mathcal{PT}$-broken phases. We show that our model not only reproduces behaviors expected by the literature but also indicates the existence of a richer structure for the spectrum. We also discuss the influence of the boundary condition and the model parameters in the exceptional line that marks the $\mathcal{PT}$ breaking.
