In their Comment [1] Giraud and Combescot point out that the contribution to the impurity-boson distribution function $rho_{bi}(x-y)$ of a term we dropped is not negligible, rather than being negligible in the thermodynamic limit as we had conjecture
d. We now agree with them, but nevertheless our results for $rho_{bi}$ are highly accurate for large impurity-boson mass ratio $m_i/m$ and remain qualitatively correct for all values of $m_i/m$ and all values of the boson-impurity coupling constant.
Squeezed states and macroscopic superpositions of coherent states have been predicted to be generated dynamically in Bose Josephson junctions. We solve exactly the quantum dynamics of such a junction in the presence of a classical noise coupled to th
e population-imbalance number operator (phase noise), accounting for, for example, the experimentally relevant fluctuations of the magnetic field. We calculate the correction to the decay of the visibility induced by the noise in the non-Markovian regime. Furthermore, we predict that such a noise induces an anomalous rate of decoherence among the components of the macroscopic superpositions, which is independent of the total number of atoms, leading to potential interferometric applications.
Using a Luttinger-liquid approach we study the quantum fluctuations of a Bose-Josephson junction, consisting of a Bose gas confined to a quasi one-dimensional ring trap which contains a localized repulsive potential barrier. For an infinite barrier w
e study the one-particle and two-particle static correlation functions. For the one-body density-matrix we obtain different power-law decays depending on the location of the probe points with respect to the position of the barrier. This quasi-long range order can be experimentally probed in principle using an interference measurement. The corresponding momentum distribution at small momenta is also shown to be affected by the presence of the barrier and to display the universal power-law behavior expected for an interacting 1D fluid. We also evaluate the particle density profile, and by comparing with the exact results in the Tonks-Girardeau limit we fix the nonuniversal parameters of the Luttinger-liquid theory. Once the parameters are determined from one-body properties, we evaluate the density-density correlation function, finding a remarkable agreement between the Luttinger liquid predictions and the exact result in the Tonks-Girardeau limit, even at the length scale of the Friedel-like oscillations which characterize the behavior of the density-density correlation function at intermediate distance. Finally, for a large but finite barrier we use the one-body correlation function to estimate the effect of quantum fluctuations on the renormalization of the barrier height, finding a reduction of the effective Josephson coupling energy, which depends on the length of the ring and on the interaction strength.
We propose quantum stirring with a laser beam as a probe of superfluid behavior for a strongly interacting one-dimensional Bose gas confined to a ring. Within the Luttinger liquid theory framework, we calculate the fraction of stirred particles per p
eriod as a function of the stirring velocity, the interaction strength and the coupling between the stirring beam and the bosons. The fraction of stirred particles allows to probe superfluidity of the system. We find that it crosses over at a critical velocity, lower than the sound one, from a characteristic power law at high velocities to a constant at low velocities. Some experimental issues on quantum stirring in ring-trapped condensates are discussed.
The low-lying eigenstates of a one-dimensional (1D) system of many impenetrable point bosons and one moving impurity particle with repulsive zero-range impurity-boson interaction are found for all values of the impurity-boson mass ratio and coupling
constant. The moving entity is a polaron-like composite object consisting of the impurity clothed by a co-moving gray soliton. The special case with impurity-boson interaction of point hard-core form and impurity-boson mass ratio $m_i/m$ unity is first solved exactly as a special case of a previous Fermi-Bose (FB) mapping treatment of soluble 1D Bose-Fermi mixture problems. Then a more general treatment is given using second quantization for the bosons and the second-quantized form of the FB mapping, eliminating the impurity degrees of freedom by a Lee-Low-Pines canonical transformation. This yields the exact solution for arbitrary $m_i/m$ and impurity-boson interaction strength.
