Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2016) 131: 220
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2016-16220-6

Regular Article

Role of nonlinearity in non-Hermitian quantum mechanics: Description of linear quantum electrodynamics from the nonlinear Schrödinger-Poisson equation

¹ Laboratoire Lagrange, UMR7293, Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Bd. de Observatoire, 06304, Nice, France
² University of Toronto, Department of Mathematics, 40 St. George St., M5S 2E4, Toronto, Canada

^* e-mail: Gilbert.Reinisch@oca.eu

Received: 18 February 2016
Revised: 24 May 2016
Accepted: 26 May 2016
Published online: 1 July 2016

Abstract

In this paper we consider a basic two-level nonlinear quantum model consisting in a two-particle interacting bound-state system. It is described by means of two different approaches: i) the mean-field stationary nonlinear Schrödinger-Poisson equation with classical Coulomb interaction and harmonic potential; ii) the linear quantum electrodynamics Hamiltonian of a quantized field coupled to two fixed charges. Computing numerically the ground state and the first excited state about the maximum eigenstate overlap (which is not zero because of eigenstate non-orthogonality), we numerically demonstrate that these two descriptions coincide at first order. As a consequence, a specific definition of the fine-structure constant is provided within 99.95% accuracy by the present first-order non-relativistic and nonlinear quantum description. This result also means that the internal Coulomb interaction commutes with external particle confinement for the calculation of the ground state. Consequently peculiar nonlinear quantum properties become observable (an experiment with GaAs quantum-dot helium is suggested).