Paper detail

Attempt to find the hidden symmetry in the asymmetric quantum Rabi model

It has been observed that the asymmetric quantum Rabi model (QRM), which does not possess any obvious symmetry, exhibits energy level crossings, which are often associated with symmetries. This observation suggests that there is in fact a symmetry in the asymmetric QRM, even though simple inspection of the model and its Hamiltonian does not reveal the nature of this symmetry. Here we present the results of numerical calculations on the energy eigenstates of the asymmetric QRM in an attempt to elucidate the nature of the symmetry. In particular, we note that the distribution of states in the Hilbert space among different symmetry classes is normally independent of system parameters and test whether this property holds for the asymmetric QRM. We find that it does not, which both helps explain why the symmetry is hidden and adds more intrigue as to what its nature might be.