Excited states decay despite being eigenstates of the Hamiltonian
Excited states in open quantum systems can undergo decay despite being treated as eigenstates of an effective Hamiltonian due to coupling with an external environment.
The retrieved papers describe open quantum systems, non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, and non-normal dynamics where coupling to an external environment allows excited states or oscillations to decay, supporting the premise of the claim.
Hong Wang, Yue Qin, Jingxu Ma, Heng Shen, Ying Hu, Xiaojun Jia. Application of non-Hermitian Hamiltonian model in open quantum optical systems*. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-1056/abda30
Explains how non-Hermitian Hamiltonian models describe open systems where energy exchange with the environment breaks strict closed-system conservation.
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Bae J, Lee K, Min B, Kim KW. Quantum electrodynamics of photonic time crystals.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67572-0
Shows that embedding a two-level atom into a photonic time crystal causes its Rabi oscillations to undergo irreversible decay despite quantum modeling perspectives.
Longhi S. Quantum Mpemba Effect from Non-Normal Dynamics.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/e27060581
Demonstrates that non-normal Liouvillian dynamics and transient mode interference govern the decay and relaxation of quantum states.
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