The charge transfer from an adatom to a semiconductor substrate of one-dimensional quantum dot array is evaluated theoretically. Due to the Van Hove singularity in the density of electron states at the band edges, the charge transfer decay rate is enhanced nonanalytically in terms of the coupling constant g as g 4/3 . The optical absorption spectrum for the ionization of a core level electron of the adatom to the conduction band is also calculated. The reversible non-Markovian process and irreversible Markovian process in the time evolution of the adatom localized state manifest themselves in the absorption spectrum through the branch point and pole contributions, respectively.

Key words non-Markovian decay, power law decay, bound stateIt is known that quantum systems yield non-exponential (power law) decay on long time scales, associated with continuum threshold effects contributing to the survival probability for a prepared initial state. For an open quantum system consisting of a discrete state coupled to continuum, we study the case in which a discrete bound state of the full Hamiltonian approaches the energy continuum as the system parameters are varied. We find in this case that at least two regions exist yielding qualitatively different power law decay behaviors; we term these the long time 'near zone' and long time 'far zone.' In the near zone the survival probability falls off according to a t −1 power law, and in the far zone it falls off as t −3 . We show that the timescale TQ separating these two regions is inversely related to the gap between the discrete bound state energy and the continuum threshold. In the case that the bound state is absorbed into the continuum and vanishes, then the time scale TQ diverges and the survival probability follows the t −1 power law even on asymptotic scales. Conversely, one could study the case of an anti-bound state approaching the threshold before being ejected from the continuum to form a bound state. Again the t −1 power law dominates precisely at the point of ejection.

We study a simple open quantum system with a PT -symmetric defect potential as a prototype in order to illustrate a number of general features of PT -symmetric open quantum systems; however, the potential itself could be mimicked by a number of PT systems that have been experimentally studied quite recently. One key feature is the resonance in continuum (RIC), which appears in both the discrete spectrum and the scattering spectrum of such systems. The RIC wave function forms a standing wave extending throughout the spatial extent of the system, and in this sense represents a resonance between the open environment associated with the leads of our model and the central PT -symmetric potential. We also illustrate that as one deforms the system parameters, the RIC may exit the continuum by splitting into a bound state and a virtual bound state at the band edge, a process which should be experimentally observable. We also study the exceptional points appearing in the discrete spectrum at which two eigenvalues coalesce; we categorize these as either EP2As, at which two real-valued solutions coalesce before becoming complex-valued, and EP2Bs, for which the two solutions are complex on either side of the exceptional point. The EP2As are associated with PT -symmetry breaking; we argue that these are more stable against parameter perturbation than the EP2Bs. We also study complex-valued solutions of the discrete spectrum for which the wave function is nevertheless spatially localized, something that is not allowed in traditional open quantum systems; we illustrate that these may form quasi-bound states in continuum (QBICs) under some circumstances. We also study the scattering properties of the system, including states that support invisible propagation and some general features of perfect transmission states. We finally use our model as a prototype for the construction of scattering states that satisfy PT -symmetric boundary conditions; while these states do not conserve the traditional probability current, we introduce the PT -current which is preserved. The perfect transmission states appear as a special case of the PT -symmetric scattering states. arXiv:1505.04267v2 [quant-ph] 3 Aug 2015

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