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

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.