Universal shock-wave propagation in one-dimensional Bose fluids

Abstract

We propose a protocol for creating moving, robust dispersive shock waves in interacting one-dimensional Bose fluids. The fluid is prepared in a moving state by phase imprinting and sent against the walls of a box trap. We demonstrate that the thus formed shock wave oscillates for several periods and is robust against thermal fluctuations. We show that this large amplitude dynamics is universal across the whole spectrum of the interatomic interaction strength, from weak to strong interactions, and it is fully controlled by the sound velocity inside the fluid. Our work provides a generalization of the dispersive-shock-wave paradigm to the many-body regime. The shock waves we propose are within reach for ultracold atom experiments.