Exceptional points in a non-Hermitian extension of the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian

Abstract

We consider a generalization of the non-Hermitian PT symmetric Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian, recently introduced for studying optical phenomena with time-dependent physical parameters, that includes environment-induced decay. In particular, we investigate the interaction of a two-level fermionic system (such as a two-level atom) with a single bosonic field mode in a cavity. The states of the two-level system are allowed to decay because of the interaction with the environment, and this is included phenomenologically in our non-Hermitian Hamiltonian by introducing complex energies for the fermion system. We focus our attention on the occurrence of exceptional points in the spectrum of the Hamiltonian, clarifying its mathematical and physical meaning.