Antiunitary Symmetry in Non-Hermitian Dissipative Dynamics and Neutron Scattering

Symmetry transformations are defined by operators in quantum mechanics that preserve the modulus of the scalar product between Hilbert space vectors. According to Wigner’s theorem, any such transformation is represented by either a unitary linear operator or an antiunitary (isometric conjugate-linear) operator. Although antiunitary symmetries—most notably time reversal and charge conjugation—are encountered less frequently than unitary ones, they are fundamental to the description of non-conservative and reversible systems. The most frequently treated antiunitary operators are the involutive ones, called conjugations. Any antiunitary operator can be written as a product of a conjugation and a unitary operator. Considering general scattering problems defined by a scattering potential and separating conjugation from the symmetry operator, one can find the role of complex symmetric (in other words self-transpose) unitary operators in physical problems. This approach provides a robust framework for analyzing the role of non-Hermitian symmetries in wave scattering and dissipative dynamics. To demonstrate the practical applicability of these theoretical concepts, we analyze the case of polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR). We show that the scattering potential in PNR, comprising nuclear and magnetic terms, can satisfy the condition of being unitarily equivalent to its transpose, thereby guaranteeing reciprocity under specific orientations of the magnetic field.