| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S45645/01 |
| Title: |
Complex Extension of Quantum Field Theory |
| Principal Investigator: |
Rivers, Professor R |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Physics |
| Organisation: |
Imperial College London |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 September 2003 |
Ends: |
31 August 2004 |
Value (£): |
92,025
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| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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In a recent article (appearing in Physical Review Letters) Professor Bender and his collaborators at Imperial College extended the conventional Hermitian formulation of quantum mechanics (QM) into the complex domain. They showed that a consistent physical theory of QM can be built on a complex Hamiltonian that is not Hermitian but satisfies the less restrictive and more physical condition of space-time reflection symmetry (PT symmetry). Thus, there are infinitely many new Hamiltonians that one can construct to explain experimental data. In particular, if PT symmetry is not spontaneously broken, it is possible to use a previously unnoticed physical symmetry of the Hamiltonian to construct an inner product with positive definite signature. This work is a natural complex generalisation of conventional QM, and this research program has great potential for significant scientific discovery. Our objective is now to further our understanding of PT-symmetric quantum field theory and to discover the observable and experimental consequences of extending QM into the complex domain.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.imperial.ac.uk |