Ground-State Properties of a One-Dimensional System of Hard Rods

TL;DR

This paper presents an exact quantum Monte Carlo study of a one-dimensional hard-rod system, revealing phase behavior and quasi-condensate features through analysis of structural and momentum properties.

Contribution

It provides the first exact simulation of a 1D hard-rod system using known wavefunctions, confirming phase distinctions and quantum correlations.

Findings

Existence of solid-like and gas-like phases at high and low densities.

Power-law decay of the one-body density matrix indicating quasi-condensation.

Divergence in momentum distribution at zero momentum.

Abstract

A quantum Monte Carlo simulation of a system of hard rods in one dimension is presented and discussed. The calculation is exact since the analytical form of the wavefunction is known, and is in excellent agreement with predictions obtained from asymptotic expansions valid at large distances. The analysis of the static structure factor and the pair distribution function indicates that a solid-like and a gas-like phases exist at high and low densities, respectively. The one-body density matrix decays following a power-law at large distances and produces a divergence in the low density momentum distribution at k=0 which can be identified as a quasi-condensate.