Remarks on quantization of Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillators

By applying methods already discussed in a previous series of papers by the same authors, we construct here classes of integrable quantum systems which correspond to n fully resonant oscillators with nonlinear couplings. The same methods are also applied to a series of nontrivial integral sets of functions, which can be constructed when additional symmetries are present due to the equality of some of the frequencies. Besides, for n=3 and resonance 1:1:2, an exceptional integr...

A new model for the finite one-dimensional harmonic oscillator is proposed based upon the algebra u(2)_{\alpha}. This algebra is a deformation of the Lie algebra u(2) extended by a parity operator, with deformation parameter {\alpha}. A class of irreducible unitary representations of u(2)_{\alpha} is constructed. In the finite oscillator model, the (discrete) spectrum of the position operator is determined, and the position wave functions are shown to be dual Hahn polynomials...

We give a simple discussion of ghosts, unitarity violation, negative norm states and quantum vs classical behavior in the simplest model with four derivative action - the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator. We also point out that the normalizable "vacuum state" (in the sense defined below) of this model can be understood as spontaneous breaking of the emergent conformal symmetry. We provide an example of an interacting system that couples the "particle" and "ghost" degrees of freedom ...

It is shown that the interacting Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator necessarily leads to a description with a Hamiltonian that contains positive and negative energies associated with two oscillators. Descriptions with a positive definite Hamiltonians, considered by some authors, can hold only for a free Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator. We demonstrate that the solutions of a self-interacting Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator are stable on islands in the parameter space, as already observed in the li...

We observe that a wide class of higher-derivative systems admits a bounded integral of motion that ensures the classical stability of dynamics, while the canonical energy is unbounded. We use the concept of a Lagrange anchor to demonstrate that the bounded integral of motion is connected with the time-translation invariance. A procedure is suggested for switching on interactions in free higher-derivative systems without breaking their stability. We also demonstrate the quanti...

The status of classical stability in higher-derivative systems is still subject to discussions. In this note, we argue that, contrary to general belief, many higher-derivative systems are classically stable. The main tool to see this property are Nekhoroshev's estimates relying on the action-angle formulation of classical mechanics. The latter formulation can be reached provided the Hamiltonian is separable, which is the case for higher-derivative harmonic oscillators. The Pa...

In a system of coupled harmonic oscillators, the interaction can be represented by a real, symmetric and positive definite interaction matrix. The quantization of a Hamiltonian describing such a system has been done in the canonical case. In this paper, we take a more general approach and look at the system as a Wigner quantum system. Hereby, one does not assume the canonical commutation relations, but instead one just requires the compatibility between the Hamilton and Heise...

We construct the systems of the harmonic and Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillators, which are invariant with respect to arbitrary noncompact Lie algebras. The equations of motion of these systems can be obtained with the help of the formalism of nonlinear realizations. We prove that it is always possible to choose time and the fields within this formalism in such a way that the equations of motion become linear and, therefore, reduce to ones of ordinary harmonic and Pais-Uhlenbeck oscil...

In the recent literature there has been a resurgence of interest in the fourth-order field-theoretic model of Pais-Uhlenbeck \cite {Pais-Uhlenbeck 50 a}, which has not had a good reception over the last half century due to the existence of {\em ghosts} in the properties of the quantum mechanical solution. Bender and Mannheim \cite{Bender 08 a} were successful in persuading the corresponding quantum operator to `give up the ghost'. Their success had the advantage of making the...

In this first of a series of four articles, it is shown how a hamiltonian quantum dynamics can be formulated based on a generalization of classical probability theory using the notion of quasi-invariant measures on the classical phase space for our description of dynamics. This is based on certain distributions rather than invariant Gibbs measures. The first quantization is by functorial analytic continuation of real probability amplitudes, mathematically effecting the introd...