We theoretically study the non-Hermitian systems, the non-Hermiticity of which arises from the unequal hopping amplitude (UHA) dimers. The distinguishing features of these models are that they have full real spectra if all of the eigenvectors are time-reversal (T) symmetric rather than parity-time-reversal (PT) symmetric, and that their Hermitian counterparts are shown to be an experimentally accessible system, which have the same topological structures as that of the original ones but modulated hopping amplitudes within the unbroken region. Under the reflectionless transmission condition, the scattering behavior of momentum-independent reflectionless transmission (RT) can be achieved in the concerned non-Hermitian system. This peculiar feature indicates that, for a certain class of non-Hermitian systems with a balanced combination of the RT dimers, the defects can appear fully invisible to an outside observer.
Unidirectional reflectionlessness is investigated in a waveguide quantum electrodynamics system that consists of a cavity and a $Λ$-type three-level quantum dot coupled to a one-dimensional plasmonic waveguide. Analytical expressions of transmission and reflection coefficients are derived and discussed for both resonant and off-resonant couplings. By appropriately modulating the coupling strength, phase shift and Rabi frequency, unidirectional reflectionlessness is observed at the exceptional points. And unidirectional coherent perfect absorption is exhibited at the vicinity of exceptional poi…
Based on a general transport theory for non-reciprocal non-Hermitian systems and a topological model that encompasses a wide range of previously studied models, we (i) provide conditions for effects such as reflectionless and transparent transport, lasing, and coherent perfect absorption, (ii) identify which effects are compatible and linked with each other, and (iii) determine by which levers they can be tuned independently. For instance, the directed amplification inherent in the non-Hermitian skin effect does not enter the spectral conditions for reflectionless transport, lasing, or coheren…
Reflectionless defects in Hermitian tight-binding lattices, synthesized by the intertwining operator technique of supersymmetric quantum mechanics, are generally not invisible and time-of-flight measurements could reveal the existence of the defects. Here it is shown that, in a certain class of non-Hermitian tight-binding lattices with complex hopping amplitudes, defects in the lattice can appear fully invisible to an outside observer. The synthesized non-Hermitian lattices with invisible defects possess a real-valued energy spectrum, however they lack of parity-time (PT) symmetry, which does …
Large families of Hamiltonians that are non-Hermitian in the conventional sense have been found to have all eigenvalues real, a fact attributed to an unbroken PT symmetry. The corresponding quantum theories possess an unconventional scalar product. The eigenvalues are determined by differential equations with boundary conditions imposed in wedges in the complex plane. For a special class of such systems, it is possible to impose the PT-symmetric boundary conditions on the real axis, which lies on the edges of the wedges. The PT-symmetric spectrum can then be obtained by imposing the more trans…
We bring out the existence of at most one spectral singularity (SS) and deep multiple minima in the reflectivity of the non-Hermitian (complex) Ginocchio potential. We find a parameter dependent single spectral singularity in this potential provided the imaginary part is emissive (not absorptive). The reflectionlessness of the real Hermitian Ginocchio's potential at discrete positive energies gives way to deep multiple minima in reflectivity when this potential is perturbed and made non-Hermitian (complex). A novel co-existence of a SS with deep minima in reflectivity is also revealed wherein …
Time reversal in quantum or classical systems described by an Hermitian Hamiltonian is a physically allowed process, which requires in principle inverting the sign of the Hamiltonian. Here we consider the problem of time reversal of a subsystem of discrete states coupled to an external environment characterized by a continuum of states, into which they generally decay. It is shown that, by flipping the discrete-continuum coupling from an Hermitian to a non-Hermitian interaction, thus resulting in a non unitary dynamics, time reversal of the subsystem of discrete states can be achieved, while t…
We study the possibility of asymmetric transmission induced by a non-Hermitian scattering center embedded in a one-dimensional waveguide, motivated by the aim of realizing quantum diode in a non-Hermitian system. It is shown that a $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetric non-Hermitian scattering center always has symmetric transmission although the dynamics within the isolated center can be unidirectional, especially at its exceptional point. We propose a concrete scheme based on a flux-controlled non-Hermitian scattering center, which comprises a non-Hermitian triangular ring threaded by an Aharonov-Bohm fl…
Complex potential and non-Hermitian hopping amplitude are building blocks of a non-Hermitian quantum network. Appropriate configuration, such as PT-symmetric distribution, can lead to the full real spectrum. To investigate the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon, we study the phase diagram of a semi-infinite non-Hermitian system. It consists of a finite non-Hermitian cluster and a semi-infinite lead. Based on the analysis of the solution of the concrete systems, it is shown that it can have the full real spectrum without any requirements on the symmetry and the wave function within the lea…
We systematically study the non-Hermitian version of the one-dimensional anisotropic XY model, which in its original form, is a unique exactly solvable quantum spin model for understanding the quantum phase transition. The distinguishing features of this model are that it has full real spectrum if all the eigenvectors are intrinsic rotation-time reversal (RT) symmetric rather than parity-time reversal (PT) symmetric, and that its Hermitian counterpart is shown approximately to be an experimentally accessible system, an isotropic XY spin chain with nearest neighbor coupling. Based on the exact …
We complexify a 1-d potential which exhibits bound, reflecting and free states to study various properties of a non-Hermitian system. This potential turns out a PT-symmetric non-Hermitian potential when one of the parameters becomes imaginary. For one PT-symmetric case we have entire real bound state spectrum. Explicit scattering states are constructed to show reciprocity at certain discrete values of energy even though the potential is not parity symmetric. Coexistence of deep energy minima of transmissivity with the multiple spectral singularities (MSS) is observed. We further show that this…
Constraints of internal symmetry on the non-Hermitian skin effect and bidirectional skin effect under the action of the Hermitian conjugate of time-reversal symmetry
Absolute negative mobility (ANM) in nonequilibrium systems depicts the possibility of particles propagating toward the opposite direction of an external force. We uncover in this work a phenomenon analogous to ANM regarding eigenstate localization and particle transport in non-Hermitian systems under the influence of the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE). A coherent coupling between two non-Hermitian chains individually possessing the same preferred direction of NHSE is shown to cause a direction reversal of NHSE for all eigenmodes. This concept is further investigated in terms of time evolutio…
We discuss Hamiltonian symmetries and invariants for quantum systems driven by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. For time-independent Hermitian Hamiltonians, a unitary or antiunitary transformation $AHA^\dagger$ that leaves the Hamiltonian $H$ unchanged represents a symmetry of the Hamiltonian, which implies the commutativity $[H,A]=0$, and a conservation law, namely the invariance of expectation values of $A$. For non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, $H^\dagger$ comes into play as a distinct operator that complements $H$ in generalized unitarity relations. The above description of symmetries has to be exten…
We consider wave dynamics for a Schrödinger equation with a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian $\mathcal{H}$ satisfying the generalized (anyonic) parity-time symmetry $\mathcal{PT H}= \exp(2 i φ) \mathcal{HPT}$, where $\mathcal{P}$ and $ \mathcal{T}$ are the parity and time-reversal operators. For a stationary potential, the anyonic phase $φ$ just rotates the energy spectrum of $\mathcal{H}$ in complex plane, however for a drifting potential the energy spectrum is deformed and the scattering and localization properties of the potential show intriguing behaviors arising from the breakdown of the Galilea…
A general formalism is worked out for the description of one-dimensional scattering in non-hermitian quantum mechanics and constraints on transmission and reflection coefficients are derived in the cases of P, T, or PT invariance of the Hamiltonian. Applications to some solvable PT-symmetric potentials are shown in detail. Our main original results concern the association of reflectionless potentials with asymptotic exact PT symmetry and the peculiarities of separable kernels of non-local potentials in connection with hermiticity, T invariance and PT invariance.
Topological phases are enriched in non-equilibrium open systems effectively described by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. While several properties unique to non-Hermitian topological systems were uncovered, the fundamental role of symmetry in non-Hermitian physics has yet to be fully understood, and it has remained unclear how symmetry protects non-Hermitian topological phases. Here we show that two fundamental anti-unitary symmetries, time-reversal and particle-hole symmetries, are topologically equivalent in the complex energy plane and hence unified in non-Hermitian physics. A striking consequen…
Many-body localization is shown to suppress imaginary parts of complex eigenenergies for general non-Hermitian Hamiltonians having time-reversal symmetry. We demonstrate that a real-complex transition, which we conjecture occurs upon many-body localization, profoundly affects the dynamical stability of non-Hermitian interacting systems with asymmetric hopping that respect time-reversal symmetry. Moreover, the real-complex transition is shown to be absent in non-Hermitian many-body systems with gain and/or loss that breaks time-reversal symmetry, even though the many-body localization transitio…
For ordinary hermitian Hamiltonians, the states show the Kramers degeneracy when the system has a half-odd-integer spin and the time reversal operator obeys Θ^2=-1, but no such a degeneracy exists when Θ^2=+1. Here we point out that for non-hermitian systems, there exists a degeneracy similar to Kramers even when Θ^2=+1. It is found that the new degeneracy follows from the mathematical structure of split-quaternion, instead of quaternion from which the Kramers degeneracy follows in the usual hermitian cases. Furthermore, we also show that particle/hole symmetry gives rise to a pair of states w…
Recently developed parity (P) and time-reversal (T) symmetric non-Hermitian systems govern a rich variety of new and characteristically distinct physical properties, which may or may not have a direct analog in their Hermitian counterparts. We study here a non-Hermitian, PT-symmetric superconducting Hamiltonian that possesses real quasiparticle spectrum in the PT-region of the Brillouin zone. Within a single-band mean-field theory, we find that real quasiparticle energies are possible when the superconducting order parameter itself is either Hermitian or anti-Hermitian. Within the correspondin…
In this paper, we present a unifying analytical framework for identifying conditions for transport effects such as reflectionless and transparent transport, lasing, and coherent perfect absorption in non-Hermitian nonreciprocal systems using a generalized transfer matrix method. This provides a universal approach to studying the transport of tight-binding platforms, including higher-dimensional models and those with an internal degree of freedom going beyond the previously studied case of one-dimensional chains with nearest-neighbor couplings. For a specific class of tight-binding models, the …
A flexible control of wave scattering in complex media is of relevance in different areas of classical and quantum physics. Recently, a great interest has been devoted to scattering engineering in non-Hermitian systems, with the prediction and demonstration of new classes of non-Hermitian potentials with unique scattering properties, such as transparent and invisibile potentials or one-way reflectionless potentials. Such potentials have been found for both continuous and discrete (lattice) systems. However, wave scattering in lattice systems displays some distinct features arising from the dis…
We study a reflectionless PT-symmetric quantum system described by the pair of complexified Scarf II potentials mutually displaced in the half of their pure imaginary period. Analyzing the rich set of intertwining discrete symmetries of the pair, we find an exotic supersymmetric structure based on three matrix differential operators that encode all the properties of the system, including its reflectionless (finite-gap) nature. The structure we revealed particularly sheds new light on the splitting of the discrete states into two families, related to the bound and resonance states in Hermitian …
We study the geometric phase for the ground state of a generalized one-dimensional non-Hermitian quantum XY model, which has transverse-field-dependent intrinsic rotation-time reversal symmetry. Based on the exact solution, this model is shown to have full real spectrum in multiple regions for the finite size system. The result indicates that the phase diagram or exceptional boundary, which separates the unbroken and broken symmetry regions corresponds to the divergence of the Berry curvature. The scaling behaviors of the groundstate energy and Berry curvature are obtained in an analytical man…
We have briefly analyzed the existence of the pseudofermionic structure of multilevel pseudo-Hermitian systems with odd time-reversal and higher order involutive symmetries. We have shown that 2N-level Hamiltonians with N-order eigenvalue degeneracy can be represented in the oscillator-like form in terms of pseudofermionic creation and annihilation operators for both real and complex eigenvalues. The example of most general four-level traceless Hamiltonian with odd time-reversal symmetry, which is an extension of the SO(5) Hermitian Hamiltonian, is considered in greater and explicit detail.
The time evolution of a system with a time-dependent non-Hermitian Hamiltonian is in general unstable with exponential growth or decay. A periodic driving field may stabilize the dynamics because the eigenphases of the associated Floquet operator may become all real. This possibility can emerge for a continuous range of system parameters with subtle domain boundaries. It is further shown that the issue of stability of a driven non-Hermitian Rabi model can be mapped onto the band structure problem of a class of lattice Hamiltonians. As an application, we show how to use the stability of driven …
We systematically study the parity- and time-reversal (PT) symmetric non-Hermitian version of a quantum network proposed in the paper of Christandl et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 187902 (2004)]. The nature of this model shows that it is a paradigm to demonstrate the complex relationship between the pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian and its Hermitian counterpart as well as a candidate in the experimental realization to simulate PT-symmetry breaking. We also show that this model allows a conditional perfect state transfer within the unbroken PT-symmetry region but not an arbitrary one. This is due to t…
We investigate the dynamics of the out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs) via a non-Hermitian extension of the quantum kicked rotor model, where the kicking potential satisfies $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry. The spontaneous $\cal{PT}$-symmetry breaking emerges when the strength of the imaginary part of the kicking potential exceeds a threshold value. We find, both analytically and numerically, that in the broken phase of $\cal{PT}$ symmetry, the OTOCs rapidly saturate with time evolution. Interestingly, the late-time saturation value scales as a pow-law in the system size. The mechanism of such sca…
It is shown that if a Hamiltonian $H$ is Hermitian, then there always exists an operator P having the following properties: (i) P is linear and Hermitian; (ii) P commutes with H; (iii) P^2=1; (iv) the nth eigenstate of H is also an eigenstate of P with eigenvalue (-1)^n. Given these properties, it is appropriate to refer to P as the parity operator and to say that H has parity symmetry, even though P may not refer to spatial reflection. Thus, if the Hamiltonian has the form H=p^2+V(x), where V(x) is real (so that H possesses time-reversal symmetry), then it immediately follows that H has PT sy…
The parity operator $\cal P$ and time reversal operator $\cal T$ are two important operators in the quantum theory, in particular, in the $\cal PT$-symmetric quantum theory. By using the concrete forms of $\cal P$ and $\cal T$, we discuss their geometrical properties in two dimensional spaces. It is showed that if $\cal T$ is given, then all $\cal P$ links with the quadric surfaces; if $\cal P$ is given, then all $\cal T$ links with the quadric curves. Moreover, we give out the generalized unbroken $\cal PT$-symmetric condition of an operator. The unbroken $\cal PT$-symmetry of a Hermitian ope…
In a remarkable development Bender and coworkers have shown that it is possible to formulate quantum mechanics consistently even if the Hamiltonian and other observables are not Hermitian. Their formulation, dubbed PT quantum mechanics, replaces hermiticity by another set of requirements, notably that the Hamiltonian should be invariant under the discrete symmetry PT, where P denotes parity and T denotes time reversal. All prior work has focused on the case that time reversal is even (T^2 = 1). We generalize the formalism to the case of odd time reversal (T^2 = -1). We discover an analogue of …
We establish that a perfect-transmission scattering problem can be described by a class of parity and time reversal symmetric operators and hereby we provide a scenario for understanding and implementing the corresponding quasi-Hermitian quantum mechanical framework from the physical viewpoint. One of the most interesting features of the analysis is that the complex eigenvalues of the underlying non-Hermitian problem, associated with a reflectionless scattering system, lead to the loss of perfect-transmission energies as the parameters characterizing the scattering potential are varied. On the…
We study a non-Hermitian Rice-Mele model without breaking time-reversal symmetry, with the non-Hermiticity arising from imbalanced hopping rates. The Berry connection, Berry curvature and Chern number are introduced in the context of biorthonormal inner product. It is shown that for a bulk system, although the Berry connection can be complex numbers, the Chern number is still quantized, as topological invariant. For an opened chain system, the mid-gap edge modes are obtained exactly, obeying the bulk-edge correspondence. Furthermore, we also introduce a local current in the context of biorthon…
Eigenspectra of a spinless quantum particle trapped inside a rigid, rectangular, two-dimensional (2D) box subject to diverse inner potential distributions are investigated under hermitian, as well as non-hermitian antiunitary $\mathcal{PT}$ (composite parity and time-reversal) symmetric regimes. Four sectors or "stripes" inscribed in the rigid box comprising contiguously conjoined parallel rectangular segments with one side equaling the entire width of the box are studied. The stripes encompass piecewise constant potentials whose exact, complete energy eigenspectrum is obtained employing matri…
We study complex potentials and related non-diagonalizable Hamiltonians with special emphasis on formal definitions of associated functions and Jordan cells. The nonlinear SUSY for complex potentials is considered and the theorems characterizing its structure are presented. We present the class of potentials invariant under SUSY transformations for non-diagonalizable Hamiltonians and formulate several results concerning the properties of associated functions . We comment on the applicability of these results for softly non-Hermitian PT-symmetric Hamiltonians. The role of SUSY (Darboux) transfo…
We systematically investigate the non-Hermitian generalisations of the Landau-Zener (LZ) transition and the Landau-Zener-Stückelberg (LZS) interferometry. The LZ transition probabilities, or band populations, are calculated for a generic non-Hermitian model and their asymptotic behaviour analysed. We then focus on non-Hermitian systems with a real adiabatic parameter and study the LZS interferometry formed out of two identical avoided level crossings. Four distinctive cases of interferometry are identified and the analytic formulae for the transition probabilities are calculated for each case.…
The scattering of quantum particles by non-hermitian (generally nonlocal) potentials in one dimension may result in asymmetric transmission and/or reflection from left and right incidence. Eight generalized symmetries based on the discrete Klein's four-group (formed by parity, time reversal, their product, and unity) are used together with generalized unitarity relations to determine the possible and/or forbidden scattering asymmetries. Six basic device types are identified when the scattering coefficients (squared moduli of scattering amplitudes) adopt zero/one values, and transmission and/or…
Non-Hermitian classical and open quantum systems near an exceptional point (EP) are known to undergo strong deviations in their dynamical behavior under small perturbations or slow cycling of parameters as compared to Hermitian systems. Such a strong sensitivity is at the heart of many interesting phenomena and applications, such as the asymmetric breakdown of the adiabatic theorem, enhanced sensing, non-Hermitian dynamical quantum phase transitions and photonic catastrophe. Like for Hermitian systems, the sensitivity to perturbations on the dynamical evolution can be captured by Loschmidt ech…
In a closed system, it is well known that the time-reversal symmetry can lead to Kramers degeneracy and protect nontrivial topological states such as quantum spin Hall insulator. In this letter we address the issue whether these effects are stable against coupling to environment, provided that both environment and the coupling to environment also respect the time-reversal symmetry. By employing a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian with the Langevin noise term and ultilizing the non-Hermitian linear response theory, we show that the spectral functions for Kramers degenerate states can be split by dissip…
In this work we consider a generalization of the symmetry classification of topological insulators to non-Hermitian Hamiltonians which satisfy a combined $PT$-symmetry (parity and time-reversal). We show via examples, and explicit bulk and boundary state proofs that the typical paradigm of forming topological insulator states from Dirac Hamiltonians is not compatible with the construction of non-Hermitian $PT$-symmetric Hamiltonians. The topological insulator states are $PT$-breaking phases and have energy spectra which are complex (not real) and thus such non-Hermitian Hamiltonians are not co…
Symmetry plays fundamental role in physics and the nature of symmetry changes in non-Hermitian physics. Here the symmetry-protected scattering in non-Hermitian linear systems is investigated by employing the discrete symmetries that classify the random matrices. The even-parity symmetries impose strict constraints on the scattering coefficients: the time-reversal (C and K) symmetries protect the symmetric transmission or reflection; the pseudo-Hermiticity (Q symmetry) or the inversion (P) symmetry protects the symmetric transmission and reflection. For the inversion-combined time-reversal symm…
When two identical (coherent) beams are injected at a semi-infinite non-Hermitian medium from left and right, we show that both reflection $(r_L,r_R)$ and transmission $(t_L,t_R)$ amplitudes are non-reciprocal. In a parametric domain, there exists Spectral Singularity (SS) at a real energy $E=E_*$ and the determinant of the time-reversed two port S-matrix i.e., $|\det(S)|=|t_L t_R-r_L r_R|$ vanishes sharply at $E=E_*$ displaying the phenomenon of Coherent Perfect Absorption (CPA). In the complimentary parametric domain, the potential becomes either left or right reflectionless at $E=E_z$. But …
We propose construction of a unique and definite metric ($η_+$), time-reversal operator (T) and an inner product such that the pseudo-Hermitian matrix Hamiltonians are C, PT, and CPT invariant and PT(CPT)-norm is indefinite (definite). Here, P and C denote the generalized symmetries : parity and charge-conjugation respectively. The limitations of the other current approaches have been brought out.
Combating the effects of disorder on light transport in micro- and nano-integrated photonic devices is of major importance from both fundamental and applied viewpoints. In ordinary waveguides, imperfections and disorder cause unwanted back-reflections, which hinder large-scale optical integration. Topological photonic structures, a new class of optical systems inspired by quantum Hall effect and topological insulators, can realize robust transport via topologically-protected unidirectional edge modes. Such waveguides are realized by the introduction of synthetic gauge fields for photons in a t…
Parity-time (PT) symmetry is of great interest. The reciprocal and unidirectional features are intriguing besides the PT symmetry phase transition. Recently, the reciprocal transmission, unidirectional reflectionless and invisibility are intensively studied. Here, we show the reciprocal reflection/transmission in PT -symmetric system is closely related to the type of PT symmetry, that is, the axial (reflection) PT symmetry leads to reciprocal reflection (transmission). The results are further elucidated by studying the scattering of rhombic ring form coupled resonators with enclosed synthetic …
We explore an alternative way of finding the link between a PT non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and a Hermitian one. Based on the analysis of the scattering problem for an imaginary potential and its time reversal process, it is shown that any real-energy eigenstate of a PT tight-binding lattice with on-site imaginary potentials shares the same wave function with a resonant transmission state of the corresponding Hermitian lattice embedded in a chain. It indicates that the PT eigenstate of a PT non-Hermitian Hamiltonian has connection to the resonance transmission state of the extended Hermitian Hami…
Symmetries associated with complex conjugation and Hermitian conjugation, such as time-reversal symmetry and pseudo-Hermiticity, have great impact on eigenvalue spectra of non-Hermitian random matrices. Here, we show that time-reversal symmetry and pseudo-Hermiticity lead to universal level statistics of non-Hermitian random matrices on and around the real axis. From the extensive numerical calculations of large random matrices, we obtain the five universal level-spacing and level-spacing-ratio distributions of real eigenvalues, each of which is unique to the symmetry class. Furthermore, we an…
Josephson-Phase Reversal of Non-Bloch Andreev Propagation
College of Physics and Materials Science, Tianjin Normal University（天津师范大学物理与材料科学学院）；Interdisciplinary Center, Tianjin Normal University（天津师范大学交叉研究中心）；Center for Joint Quantum Studies & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Materials Physics and Preparing Technology, Department of Physics, School of Science, Tianjin University（天津大学理学院物理系量子联合研究中心及天津市低维材料物理与制备技术重点实验室）
Topological stability of the edge states is investigated for non-Hermitian systems. We examine two classes of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians supporting real bulk eigenenergies in weak non-Hermiticity: SU(1,1) and SO(3,2) Hamiltonians. As an SU(1,1) Hamiltonian, the tight-binding model on the honeycomb lattice with imaginary on-site potentials is examined. Edge states with ReE=0 and their topological stability are discussed by the winding number and the index theorem, based on the pseudo-anti-Hermiticity of the system. As a higher symmetric generalization of SU(1,1) Hamiltonians, we also consider S…
We systematically study a Kitaev chain with imbalanced pair creation and annihilation, which is introduced by non-Hermitian pairing terms. Exact phase diagram shows that the topological phase is still robust under the influence of the conditional imbalance. The gapped phases are characterized by a topological invariant, the extended Zak phase, which is defined by the biorthonormal inner product. Such phases are destroyed at the points where the coalescence of groundstates occur, associating with the time-reversal symmetry breaking. We find that the Majorana edge modes also exist for the open c…
We propose a scheme to generate a persistent current in driven-dissipative systems which can be described by the generalized Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. Our proposal consists of fabricating a rachet-potential shape of the loss-rate profile, which simultaneously breaks the time-reversal and parity-inversion symmetry. Unlike existing schemes to generate a current using a rachet potential in Hermitian systems, no dynamic drive is needed. The basic physics of our scheme is discussed by a simple discrete driven-dissipative GP model, and the results are also verified by a realistic continuous mo…
It is one of the most important and long-standing issues of physics to derive the irreversibility out of a time-reversal symmetric equation of motion. The present paper considers the breaking of the time-reversal symmetry in open quantum systems and the emergence of an arrow of time. We claim that the time-reversal symmetric Schrödinger equation can have eigenstates that break the time-reversal symmetry if the system is open in the sense that it has at least a countably infinite number of states. Such eigenstates, namely the resonant and anti-resonant states, have complex eigenvalues. We show …
