Localization and splitting of a quantum droplet by immersing a heavy impurity

Abstract: We unravel the existence and nonequilibrium response of one-dimensional harmonically trapped droplet configurations in the presence of a central repulsive or attractive potential well mimicking the effect of a heavy impurity. For fixed negative chemical potentials, it is shown that droplets fragment into two for increasing repulsive potential heights, a process that occurs faster for larger widths. However, atoms from the droplet accumulate at the attractive potential, especially for wider ones, leading to a deformed droplet and eventually to the termination of the solution. Linearization analysis yields the underlying excitation spectrum which dictates stability and the behavior of the ensuing collective modes. Quenches in the potential height are used to demonstrate dynamical fragmentation of the droplet for repulsive potentials as well as self-evaporation along with droplet localization and eventual relaxation for longer evolution times in the case of attractive potential wells. The many-body character of the dynamics is explicated by evaluating the participating single-particle eigenstates manifesting the superposition nature of the droplet state. Our results should be detectable by current ultracold atom experiments and may inspire engineered droplet dynamics with the aid of external potentials.