Removal of instabilities of the higher derivative theories in the light of antilinearity (2104.01826v2)

Abstract: Theories with higher derivatives involve linear instabilities in the Hamiltonian commonly known as Ostrogradski ghosts and can be viewed as a very serious problem during quantization. To cure {this} , we have considered the properties of antilinearty that can be found inherently in the non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. Owing to the existence of antilinearity, we can construct an operator, called the $V$-operator, which acts as an intertwining operator between the Hamiltonian and its hermitian conjugate. We have used this $V$-operator to remove the linear momenta term from the higher derivative Hamiltonian by making it non-Hermitian in the first place via an isospectral similarity transformation. The final form of the Hamiltonian is free from the Ostrogradski ghosts under some restriction on the mass term.