Physics of non-Hermitian quantum Hamiltonians

Physical Hamiltonians are not Hermitian (NH) when either the potentials are complex (as for example in optics when the index of refraction is complex) or when the potential is real but the system is in a metastable state (as for example in alpha decay or in an autoionization/photoionization of atoms and molecules). Physical phenomena that it is hard and often impossible to study by standard (Hermitian) quantum mechanics (QM) will be discussed. The focus will be on the discovery of physical phenomena that can be described in a simple way solely by the mean of NHQM.