Breaking Boundaries: Non-Hermitian Systems and the Phenomenon of "Defect Freezing"

Researchers, with Paolo Molignini of Fysikum playing a pivotal role, are venturing beyond the constraints of traditional quantum mechanics by studying non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, offering new insights into quantum dynamics. These non-Hermitian systems can demonstrate a unique behavior known as "defect freezing", where a system remains excited irrespective of the rate of change in parameters. This can be likened to an old house with squeaky floors where movement always creates noise, regardless of speed. The team's findings emphasize the importance of a rigorous mathematical foundation for understanding non-Hermitian quantum mechanics and see potential applications in quantum computing platforms.