Time-Dependent Pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians and a Hidden Geometric Aspect of Quantum Mechanics

A non-Hermitian operator $H$ defined in a Hilbert space with inner product $\langle\cdot|\cdot\rangle$ may serve as the Hamiltonian for a unitary quantum system, if it is $η$-pseudo-Hermitian for a metric operator (positive-definite automorphism) $η$. The latter defines the inner product $\langle \cdot|η\cdot\rangle$ of the physical Hilbert space $\mathscr{H} _η$ of the system. For situations where some of the eigenstates of $H$ depend on time, $η$ becomes time-dependent. Therefore the system has a non-stationary Hilbert space. Such quantum systems, which are also encountered in the study of quantum mechanics in cosmological backgrounds, suffer from a conflict between the unitarity of time evolution and the unobservability of the Hamiltonian. Their proper treatment requires a geometric framework which clarifies the notion of the energy observable and leads to a geometric extension of quantum mechanics (GEQM). We provide a general introduction to the subject, review some of the recent developments, offer a straightforward description of the Heisenberg-picture formulation of the dynamics for quantum systems having a time-dependent Hilbert space, and outline the Heisenberg-picture formulation of dynamics in GEQM.

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