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A C*-Algebraic Perspective on Probabilistic Structures in the Unbroken and Broken PT-Symmetric Regimes

A C*-Algebraic Perspective on Probabilistic Structures in the Unbroken and Broken PT-Symmetric Regimes

Ari Shukla

Abstract

PT-symmetry, invariance under the combined operations of spatial reflection and time reversal, arises naturally in non-Hermitian physics and has been attracting an increasing amount of attention in the literature. Here, we examine probabilistic structures within the unbroken and broken PT-symmetric regimes from a C*-algebraic perspective. We show that PT-unbroken probability is directly compatible with the operator-algebraic formulation of standard QM. However, though PT-broken Hamiltonians may generate well-defined non-unitary dynamics, basic structural properties required for quantum probability typically fail. We analyze this failure via relation to the GNS construction, ultimately demonstrating that an extension to a C*-algebraic probability theory on a Hermitian supersystem is required to define a meaningful probability calculus within the PT-broken system itself. Thereby, consistent probability assignment must be extrinsic to the PT-broken phase, and must be inherited from a dilation to a Hermitian system. We offer a novel interpretation of the broken PT-symmetric regime as a non-ordered, non-probabilistic subalgebra of a larger Hermitian, fully quantum system. Additionally, our work clarifies the structural importance of positivity in standard quantum mechanics.

Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Published and Managed by The Princeton Journal of Precollegiate Scholarship Inc.
ISSN: 3143-8423
DOI: 10.67698

Copyright © Princeton Journal of Pre-Collegiate Research. All rights reserved

PJPCR is independently operated and is not affiliated with Princeton University or any of its colleges, departments or programs.

Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Published and Managed by The Princeton Journal of Precollegiate Scholarship Inc.
ISSN: 3143-8423
DOI: 10.67698

Copyright © Princeton Journal of Pre-Collegiate Research. All rights reserved

PJPCR is independently operated and is not affiliated with Princeton University or any of its colleges, departments or programs.

Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Published and Managed by The Princeton Journal of Precollegiate Scholarship Inc.
ISSN: 3143-8423
DOI: 10.67698

Copyright © Princeton Journal of Pre-Collegiate Research. All rights reserved

PJPCR is independently operated and is not affiliated with Princeton University or any of its colleges, departments or programs.