Breakdown of the mean field for dark solitons of dipolar bosons in a one-dimensional harmonic trap

TL;DR

This paper compares mean-field and many-body approaches for dark solitons in a one-dimensional dipolar bosonic system within a harmonic trap, highlighting differences in their dynamic behavior and frequency responses.

Contribution

It introduces a multi-atom phase imprinting method and analyzes the divergence between mean-field and many-body dynamics in the system.

Findings

Significant differences in frequency responses between mean-field and many-body models.

Decoupling of center of mass and soliton motion due to shock wave oscillations.

Observation of dark soliton and shock wave emergence in the system.

Abstract

We directly compare the mean-field and the many-body approach in a one-dimensional Bose system in a harmonic trap. Both contact and dipolar interactions are considered. We propose a multi-atom version of the phase imprinting method to generate dark solitons in the system. We begin with a general analysis of system dynamics and observe the emergence of a dark soliton and a shock wave. Center of mass and soliton motion become decoupled because the shock wave oscillates with the trap frequency and soliton does not. A detailed investigation of frequencies reveals significant differences between results obtained in the mean-field and the many-body pictures.