Quantum decay of dark solitons in one dimensional Bose systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the quantum decay mechanisms of dark solitons in one-dimensional Bose systems, revealing a temperature-dependent lifetime and long-range interactions mediated by quantum fluctuations, relevant for ultracold atom experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum framework to calculate the finite lifetime of dark solitons and uncovers long-range interactions due to quantum fluctuations, extending understanding beyond classical models.

Findings

Soliton lifetime scales as T^{-4} at low temperatures

Quantum fluctuations induce long-range soliton interactions

Results are applicable to ultracold atom experiments

Abstract

Unless protected by the exact integrability, solitons are subject to dissipative forces, originating from a thermally fluctuating background. At low enough temperatures $T$ background fluctuations should be considered as being quantized which enables us to calculate finite lifetime of the solitons $\tau\sim T^{-4}$. We also find that the coherent nature of the quantum fluctuations leads to long-range interactions between the solitons mediated by the superradiation. Our results are of relevance to current experiments with ultracold atoms, while the approach may be extended to solitons in other media.