Symmetries and invariants for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

Abstract

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 extended to include also $A$-pseudohermiticity relations of the form $AH=H^\dagger A$. A superoperator formulation of Hamiltonian symmetries is provided and exemplified for Hamiltonians of a particle moving in one-dimension considering the set of $A$ operators forming Klein's 4-group: parity, time-reversal, parity\&time-reversal, and unity. The link between symmetry and conservation laws is discussed and shown to be more subtle for non-Hermitian than for Hermitian Hamiltonians.