Hermitian--to--quasi-Hermitian quantum phase transitions

Abstract

The phenomenon of quantum phase transition is considered in the special case in which the evolution laws remain unitary and in which the bound-state energies remain observable. The conventional Hermiticity of observables is lost at the interface, replaced by the so called quasi-Hermiticity. Several features of the passage of the system through the interface are discussed and illustrated by elementary illustrative ${\cal PT}-$symmetric examples.