arXiv · quant-ph/0507202
How to Test for Diagonalizability: The Discretized PT-Invariant Square-Well Potential
Abstract
Given a non-hermitean matrix M, the structure of its minimal polynomial encodes whether M is diagonalizable or not. This note will explain how to determine the minimal polynomial of a matrix without going through its characteristic polynomial. The approach is applied to a quantum mechanical particle moving in a square well under the influence of a piece-wise constant PT-symmetric potential. Upon discretizing the configuration space, the system is decribed by a matrix of dimension three. It turns out not to be diagonalizable for a critical strength of the interaction, also indicated by the transition of two real into a pair of complex energy eigenvalues. The systems develops a three-fold degenerate eigenvalue, and two of the three eigenfunctions disappear at this exceptional point, giving a difference between the algebraic and geometric multiplicity of the eigenvalue equal to two.
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Stefan Weigert. 2005-07-20. How to Test for Diagonalizability: The Discretized PT-Invariant Square-Well Potential. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10582-005-0126-7
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