ap-5-10.dvi Acta Polytechnica Vol. 50 No. 5/2010 Rectifiable P T -symmetric Quantum Toboggans with Two Branch Points M. Znojil Abstract Certain complex-contour (a.k.a. quantum-toboggan) generalizations of Schrödinger’s bound-state problem are reviewed and studied in detail. Our key message is that the practical numerical solution of these atypical eigenvalue problems may perceivably be facilitated via an appropriate complex change of variables which maps their multi-sheeted complex domain of definition to a suitable single-sheeted complex plane. Keywords: quantum bound-state models, wave-functions with branch-points, complex-contour coordinates, PT-sym- metry, tobogganic Hamiltonians, winding descriptors, single-sheet maps, Sturm-Schrödinger equations. 1 Introduction The one-dimensional Schrödinger equation for bound states − h̄2 2m d2 dx2 ψn(x)+ V (x)ψn(x) = En ψn(x) , (1) ψn(x) ∈ L2(R) is one of the most friendly phenomenological models inquantummechanics [1]. Forvirtuallyall of the rea- sonable phenomenological confining potentials V (x) the numerical treatment of this eigenvalue problem remains entirely routine. During certain recent numerical experiments [2] it became clear that many standard (e.g., Runge- Kutta [3]) computational methods may still en- counter new challenges when one follows the advice by Bender and Turbiner [4], by Buslaev and Grec- chi [5], by Bender et al [6] or by Znojil [7], and when one replaces the most common real line of coordi- nates x ∈ R in ordinary differential Eq. (1) by some less trivial complex contour of x ∈ C(s)whichmaybe conveniently parametrized, whenever necessary, by a suitable real pseudocoordinate s ∈ R, − h̄2 2m d2 dx2 ψn(x)+ V (x)ψn(x) = En ψn(x) , (2) ψn(x) ∈ L2(C) . Temporarily, the scepticism has been suppressed by Weideman [8] who showed that many standard nu- merical algorithmsmay be reconfirmed to lead to re- liable results even for many specific analytic samples of complex interactions V (x) giving real spectra via Eq. (2). Unfortunately, the scepticism reemergedwhenwe proposed, in Ref. [7], to study so-called quantum to- boggans characterized by the relaxation of the most common tacit assumption that the above-mentioned integrationcontours C(s)must always lie just inside a single complex plane R0 equipped by suitable cuts. Subsequently, the reemergence of certain numerical difficulties accompanying the evaluation of the spec- tra of quantum toboggans has been reported by Bı́la [9] and by Wessels [10]. Their empirical detection of the presence of instabilities in their numerical results may be recognized as one of the key motivations for our present considerations. 2 Illustrative tobogganic Schrödinger equations 2.1 Assumptions Whenever the complex integration contour C(s) used in Eq. (2) becomes topologically nontrivial (cf. Figures 1–4 for illustration), it may be inter- preted as connecting several sheets of the Riemann surface R(multisheeted) supporting the general solu- tion ψ(general)(x) of the underlying complex ordi- nary differential equation. It is well known that these solutions ψ(general)(x) are non-unique (i.e., two-parametric – cf. [9]). From the point of view of physics this means that they may be restricted by some suitable (i.e., typically, asymptotic [4, 5]) boundary conditions (cf. also Ref. [7]). In what fol- lows we shall assume that (A1) these general solutions ψ(general)(x) live on un- bounded contours called “tobogganic”, with the name coined and with the details explained in Ref. [7]; (A2) ourparticular choiceof the tobogganic contours C(s)= C(tobogganic)(s) ∈ R(multisheeted) 84 Acta Polytechnica Vol. 50 No. 5/2010 –1 –1.5 –0.5 0.5 Re x Im x Fig. 1: The central segment of the typical PT -symmetric double-circle tobogganic curve of x ∈ C(LR)(s)withwind- ing parameter κ = 3 in Eq. (10). This curve is obtained as the imageof the straight line of z ∈ C(0)(s) at ε =0.250 Re x -Im x –1 –2 –1 1 Fig. 2: An alternative version of the double-circle curve of Figure 1 obtained at the “almost maximal” ε = ε (critical) − 0.0005 (note that ε(critical) ∼ 0.34062502) Re x -Im x –1 –2 –1 1 Fig. 3: The extreme version of the double-circle curve C(LR)(s) at ε < ≈ ε(critical) Re x -Im x –1 –2 –1 1 Fig. 4: The change of topology at ε > ≈ ε(critical) when Eq. (10) starts giving the single-circle tobogganic curves C(RL)(s) at κ =3 will be specified by certain multiindex � so that C(tobogganic)(s) ≡ C(�)(s); (A3) for the sake of brevity our attentionmay be re- stricted to the tobogganicmodelswhere themul- tiindices � are nontrivial but still not too com- plicated. For this reasonwe shall study just the subclass of the tobogganic models − h̄2 2m d2 dx2 ψn(x) + V (2) (j) (x)ψn(x)= En ψn(x) , (3) ψn(x) ∈ L2(C(�)) containing, typically, potentials V (2) (1) (x) = V(HO)(x)= x2 + [ F (x − 1)2 + F (x +1)2 ] , (4) F 0 1 or V (2) (2) (x) = V(ICO)(x)= ix3 + [ G (x − 1)2 + G (x +1)2 ] ,(5) G 0 1 with two strong singularities inducing branch points in the wave functions. In this manner we shall have to deal with the two branch points x (BP) (±) = ±1 in ψ (general)(x). In the language of mathematics the obvious topologi- cal structure of the correspondingmulti-sheetedRie- mann surface R(multisheeted) will be “punctured” at x (BP) (±) = ±1. In the vicinity of these two “spikes” we shall assume the generic, “logarithmic” [11] structure of R(multisheeted). 85 Acta Polytechnica Vol. 50 No. 5/2010 2.2 Winding descriptors � The multiindex � will be called a “winding descrip- tor” in what follows. It will be used here in the form introduced inRef. [12], where each curve C(�)(s) has been assumedmoving from its “left asymptotics” (where s � −1) to a point which lies below one of the branch points x (BP) (±) = ±1. During the further increase of s one simply selects one of the following four alternative possibilities: • one moves counterclockwise around the left branch point x (BP) (−) (this move is represented by the first letter L in the “word” �), • one moves counterclockwise around the right branch point x (BP) (+) (this move is represented by letter R), • onemovesclockwisearoundthe left branchpoint x (BP) (−) (this move is represented by letter Q or symbol L−1 ≡ Q), • one moves clockwise around the right branch point x (BP) (+) (this move is represented by letter P or symbol R−1 ≡ P). In thismannerwemay compose themoves and char- acterize each contour by a word � composed of the sequenceof letters selected fromthe four-letteralpha- bet R, L, Q and P . Once we add the requirement of P T -symmetry (i.e., of a left-right symmetry of con- tours) we arrive at the sequence of eligible words � of even length 2N. At N =0 wemay assign the empty symbol � = ∅ or � =0 to the one-parametric family of the straight lines of Ref. [5], C(0)(s) ≡ s − iε , ε > 0. (6) Thus, one encounters precisely four possible arrange- ments of the descriptor, viz, � ∈ { LR , L−1R−1 , RL , R−1L−1 } , N =1 (7) in the first nontrivial case. In the more complicated caseswhere N > 1 itmakes sense to re-express the re- quirement of P T -symmetry in the formof the string- decomposition � = Ω ⋃ ΩT where the superscript T marks an ad hoc transposition, i.e., the reverse read- ing accompanied by the L ↔ R interchange of sym- bols. Thus, besides the illustrative Eq. (7) we may immediately complement the first nontrivial list Ω ∈ { L , L−1 , R , R−1 } , N =1 , by its N =2 descendant{ LL, LR, RL, RR, L−1R, R−1L, LR−1 , RL−1 , L−1L−1, L−1R−1, R−1L−1, R−1R−1 } (8) etc. The four “missing” words LL−1 , L−1L , RR−1 and R−1R had to be omitted as trivial here because they cancel each other when interpreted as wind- ings [12]. 3 Rectifications 3.1 Formula The core of our present message lies in the idea that the non-tobogganic straight lines (6)maybemapped on their specific (called “rectifiable”) tobogganic de- scendants. For this purpose one may use the follow- ing closed-form recipe of Ref. [12], M : ( z ∈ C(0)(s) ) → ( x ∈ C(�)(s) ) (9) where one defines x = −i √ (1 − z2)κ − 1 . (10) This formula guarantees the P T symmetry of the re- sulting contour aswell as the stability of the position of our pair of branch points. Another consequence of this choice is that the negative imaginary axis of z = −i|z| is mapped upon itself. Some purely numerical features of the mapping (10)mayalso be checkedvia the freely available soft- ware of Ref. [13]. On this empirical basis we shall require exponent κ to be chosen here as an odd pos- itive integer, κ =2M +1, M =1,2, . . .. In this case theasymptoticsof the resultingnontrivial tobogganic contours (with M = 0) will still parallel the κ = 1 real line C(0)(s) in the leading-order approximation. 3.2 Sequences of critical points An inspection of Figures 2 and 3 and a comparison with Figures 4 and 5 reveals that one should expect the emergence of sudden changes of the winding de- scriptors � during a smooth variation of the shift Re x Im x –6 –4 –2 –4 –2 2 Fig. 5: The fully developed version of the single-circle to- bogganic curve C(RL)(s) obtained at κ =3 and ε =0.400 86 Acta Polytechnica Vol. 50 No. 5/2010 ε > 0 of the initial straight line of z introduced via Eq. (6). Formally we may set � = �(ε) and mark the set of corresponding points of changes of �(ε) by the sub- and superscript in ε (critical) j . A quantitative analysis of these critical points is not difficult since it is perceptibly simplified by the graphical insight gained via Figures 2–4 and via their appropriately selected more complicated de- scendants. Trial and error constructions enable us to formulate (and, subsequently, to prove) the very use- ful hypothesis that the transition between different descriptors �(ε) always proceeds via the same mech- anism. Its essence is characterized by the confluence and “flip” of the curve at any j = 1,2, . . . , M in ε = ε (critical) j . At this point two specific branches of the curve C(�)(s) touch and reconnect in the manner sampled by the transition fromFigure 2 to Figure 4. The key characteristics of this flip is that it takes place in the origin so that we can determine the point x (critical) j = 0 which carries the obvious geo- metric meaning mediated by the complex mapping (10). Thus, the vanishing x (critical) j =0 is to be per- ceived as an image of some doublet of z = z (critical) j or, due to the left-right symmetry of the picture, as an image of a symmetric pair of the pseudocoordi- nates s (critical) j = ± ∣∣∣s(critical)j ∣∣∣. At any κ =2M +1 the latter observations reduce Eq. (6) to the elementary relation 1= { 1+[i(s − iε)]2 }κ (11) which may be analyzed in the equivalent form of the following 2M +1 independent relations e2πim/(2M+1) =1+(is+ε)2 =1+ε2−s2+2is ε . (12) These relations numbered by m =0, ±1, . . . , M may further be simplified via the two known elementary trigonometric real and non-negative constants A and B such that[ 1 − e2πim/(2M+1) ] = A ± iB . In terms of these constants we separate Eq. (12) into it real and imaginary parts yielding the pair of rela- tions s2 − ε2 − A =0 , 2s ε = B . (13) As longas ε > 0wemayrestrict ourattention tonon- negative s and eliminate s = B/(2ε). The remaining quadratic equation B2/(2ε)2 − ε2 − A =0 finally leads to the following unique solution of the problem, ε = 1 √ 2 √ −A + √ A2 + B2 . (14) This formula perfectly confirms the validity and pre- cision of our illustrative graphical constructions. 4 Samples of countours of complex coordinates For the most elementary toboggans characterized by the single branching point the winding descrip- tor � becomes trivial because it is being formed by the words in a one-letter alphabet. This means that all the information about windings degener- ates just to the length of the word � represented by an (arbitrary) integer [14]. Obviously, these mod- els would be too trivial from our present point of view. In an opposite direction one could also contem- plate tobogganic models where a larger number of branch points would have to be taken into account. An interesting series of exactly solvable models of this form may be found, e.g., in Ref. [15]. Natu- rally, the study of all of these far reaching general- izations would still proceed along the lines which are tested here on the first nontrivial family character- ized by the presence of the mere two branch points in ψ(x). From the pedagogical point of view the merits of the two-branch-point scenario comprise not only the simplicity of the formulae (cf., e.g., Eq. (10) in the preceding section) but also the feasibility and transparency of the graphical presentation of the in- tegrationcontours C(�) of the tobogganicSchrödinger equations. This assertionmay easilybe supported by a few explicit illustrative pictures. 4.1 Rectifiable tobogganic contours with κ =3 The change of variables (10) generating the rectifi- able tobogganic Schrödinger equations must be im- plemented with due care because the knot-shaped curves C(�)(s) may happen to run quite close to the points of singularities at certain values of s. This is well illustrated by Figure 1 or, even better, by Fig- ure 6. At the same time all our Figures clearly show thatonecancontrol theproximity to the singularities by means of the choice of the shift ε of the (conven- tionally chosen) straight line of the auxiliary variable z ∈ C(0) given by Eq. (6). Once we fix the distance ε of the complex line C(0) from the real line R we may still vary the odd integers κ. Vice versa, even at the smallest κ = 3 the recipe enables us to generate certain mutually non-equivalent tobogganic contours C(�)(s) in the ε−dependentmanner. This confirms the existence of discontinuities. Their emergence and form are best illustrated by the pair of Figures 3 and 4. 87 Acta Polytechnica Vol. 50 No. 5/2010 Re x Im x –1 –0.5 0.5 Fig. 6: The quadruple-circle tobogganic curve of x ∈ C(LLRR)(s). With winding parameter κ = 5 in Eq. (10) this sample is obtained at ε = ε (critical) 1 − 0.0005, i.e., just slightly below the first critical value of ε (critical) 1 ∼ 0.21574990 Re x Im x –1 –0.5 0.5 Fig. 7: The topologically different, triple-circle curve C(RRLL)(s) obtained at κ =5 and ε = ε(critical)1 +0.0005 We may conclude that in general one has to deal here with the very high sensitivity of the results to the precision of the numerical input or to the preci- sion of the computer arithmetics. This confirms the expectations expressed in our older paper [12] where we emphasized that the descriptor � is not necessar- ily easily inferred from a nontrivial, detailed analysis of the mapping M. 4.2 Rectifiable tobogganic contours with κ ≥ 5 Oncewe select the next odd integer κ =5 inEq. (10) the study of the knot-shaped structure of the result- ing integration contours C(�)(s) becomes even more involved because in the generic case sampled by Fig- ure 6 the size of the internal loops proves unexpect- edly small in comparison. As a consequence, their very existence may in principle escape our attention. Thus, one might even mistakenly perceive the curve ofFigure 6asan inessential deformationof the curves in Figures 1 or 2. Naturally, not all of the features of our toboganic integration contours will change during the transi- tion from κ = 3 to κ = 5. In particular, the partial parallelism between Figures 2 and 6 survives as the similar global-shape partial parallelism between Fig- ures 4 (where κ = 3) and 7 (where κ = 5). More- over, a certain local-shape partial parallelismmaybe also foundbetweenFigure 2 (where the twoupwards- oriented loops almost touch at κ = 3) and Figure 8 (where the two downwards-oriented “inner” loops al- most touch at κ = 5). The latter parallels seem to sample a certainmore generalmechanism, since Fig- ure 4 also finds its replica inside the upper part of Figure 9, etc. Obviously, the next-step transition from κ = 5 to κ = 7 (etc.) may also be expected to proceed along similar lines. Re x Im x –10 –4 4 Fig. 8: The other extreme triple-circled κ = 5 curve C(RRLL)(s) as emerging at ε = ε(critical)2 − 0.005, i.e., close to the second boundary ε (critical) 2 ∼ 0.49223343 Re x Im x –10 –4 4 Fig. 9: The twice-circling tobogganic κ = 5 curve C(RLRL)(s) as emerging slightly above the second criti- cal shift-parameter, viz, at ε = ε (critical) 2 +0.005 88 Acta Polytechnica Vol. 50 No. 5/2010 Table 1: Transition parameters for κ =2M +1 with M =1,2, . . . ,6 M ε (critical) (m) pseudocoordinate angle m B [critical shift in C(0)(s) ] ∣∣∣s(critical)(m) ∣∣∣ ϕ(critical)(m) 1 1 0.8660 0.34062501931660664017 1.2712 0.2618 2 1 0.9510 0.49223342986833679823 0.96606 0.4712 2 0.5878 0.21574989943840034163 1.3622 0.1571 3 1 0.7818 0.49560936234793313854 0.78876 0.5610 2 0.9749 0.41300244005317039597 1.1803 0.3366 3 0.4339 0.15634410200136762402 1.3876 0.1122 4 1 0.6428 0.47438630343334929661 0.67749 0.6109 2 0.9848 0.47917814904271720218 1.0276 0.4363 3 0.8660 0.34062501931660664017 1.2712 0.2618 4 0.3420 0.12231697600600608108 1.3981 0.08727 5 1 0.5406 0.44984366535166445772 0.60092 0.6426 2 0.9096 0.49834558687374848153 0.91265 0.4998 3 0.9898 0.42964189183273983152 1.1519 0.3570 4 0.7557 0.28670826353957054964 1.3180 0.2142 5 0.2817 0.10037407570525388131 1.4034 0.071400 6 1 0.4647 0.42666576745054519911 0.54460 0.6646 2 0.8230 0.49875399287559237235 0.82504 0.5437 3 0.9927 0.47264256935707423545 1.0502 0.4229 4 0.9350 0.38168235795277279438 1.2249 0.3021 5 0.6631 0.24649719795540125795 1.3451 0.1812 6 0.2393 0.085076232785825555735 1.4065 0.06042 For computer-assisted drawing of the graphical representationof the curves C(�) the formulaeofpara- graph3.2 should be recalledas the source of themost useful informationabout the criticalparameters. The extended-precision values of the underlying coordi- nates of the points of instability are needed in such an application. Their M ≤ 6 sample is listed here in Table 1. On this basiswemay summarize that at a generic κ the variation (i.e., in all of our examples, the growth)of the shift ε makes certain subspirals of con- tours C(�) larger andmoving closer and closer to each other. In this context ourTable 1 could, in principle, serve as a certain systematic guide towards a less in- tuitive classification of our present graphical pictures characterizing transitions between different winding descriptors � and, hence, between the topologically non-equivalent rectifiable tobogganic contours C(�). During such phase-transition-like processes [4] the value of ε crosses a critical point beyond which the asymptotics of the contours change. As a conse- quence, also the spectra of the underlying tobogganic quantum bound-state Hamiltonians will, in general, be changed [16]. 5 Conclusions Wehave confirmed the viability of an innovated, “to- bogganic” version of P T -symmetric Quantum Me- chanics of bound states in models where the gen- eral solutions of the underlying ordinary differential Schrödinger equation exhibit two branch-point sin- gularities located, conveniently, at x(BP) = ±1. In particular we have clarified that many topo- logically complicated complex integrations contours which spiral around the branch points x(BP) in var- ious ways may be rectified. This means that one can apply an elementary change of variables z(s) → x(s) and replace the complicated original tobogganic quantumbound-state problem by an equivalent sim- plifieddifferential equation defined along the straight line of complex pseudocoordinates z = s − iε. In detail a few illustrative rectificationshavebeen described where we have succeeded in assigning the 89 Acta Polytechnica Vol. 50 No. 5/2010 differentwindingdescriptors � to the tobogganic con- tours controlledsolelyby thevariationof the “initial” complex shift ε. An interesting supplementary result of our present considerationsmaybe seen in the con- structive demonstration of the feasibility of an ex- plicit description of these transitions between topo- logically non-equivalent quantum toboggans char- acterized by non-equivalent winding descriptors �. Nevertheless, a full understanding of these structures remains an open problem recommended for deeper analysis in the nearest future. In summary we have to emphasize that our present rectification-mediated reconstruction of the ordinary-differential-equation representation of qu- antum toboggans can be perceived as an important step towards their rigorous mathematical analysis and, in particular, towards an extension of the ex- isting rigorous proofs of the reality/observability of the energy spectra to these promising innovativephe- nomenological models. Acknowledgement Support from Institutional Research Plan AV0Z 10480505 and from MŠSMT Doppler Institute project LC06002 is acknowledged. References [1] Flügge, S.: Practical Quantum Mechanics I, II. Berlin, Springer, 1971. [2] Znojil,M.: Experiments inPT-symmetric quan- tum mechanics, Czech. J. Phys. Vol. 54 (2004), p. 151–156 (quant-ph/0309100v2). [3] Znojil, M.: One-dimensional Schrödinger equa- tion and its “exact” representation on a dis- crete lattice, Phys. Lett. Vol. A 223 (1996), p. 411–416. [4] Bender, C. M., Turbiner, A. 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[15] Sinha, A., Roy, P.: Generation of exactly solv- ablenon-Hermitianpotentialswith realenergies. Czech. J. Phys. Vol. 54 (2004), p. 129–138. [16] Znojil,M.: Topology-controlled spectra of imag- inary cubic oscillators in the large-L approach. Phys. Lett. Vol. A 374 (2010), p. 807812 (arXiv:0912.1176v1). prom. fyz. Miloslav Znojil, DrSc. E-mail: znojil@ujf.cas.cz Nuclear Physics Institute ASCR 250 68 Řež, Czech Republic 90