Unfolding a diabolic point: a generalized crossing scenario

Abstract

The typical avoided crossings for Hermitian quantum systems depending on parameters, the diabolic crossing scenario, are generalized to the non-Hermitian case, e.g. for resonances. Two types of crossings appear: for type I, the real parts show an avoided and the imaginary parts a true crossing of the eigenenergies, and for type II the opposite is found. A simple symmetric non-Hermitian two-state matrix Hamiltonian is analysed in detail. The diabolic point bifurcates into two exceptional ones on exceptional lines where the matrices are defective. The adiabatic transport of eigenvectors and eigenstates in parameter space is discussed in this generalized diabolic crossing scenario, in particular the geometric Berry phases for a cyclic variation of system parameters, depending on the topology of the closed curves with respect to the exceptional lines.