We investigate bound states in the one-dimensional two-particle Bose-Hubbard model with an attractive (
V>0) impurity potential. This is a one-dimensional, discrete analogy of the hydrogen negative ion (H${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) problem. There are several different types of bound states in this system, each of which appears in a specific region. For given
V, there exists a (positive) critical value
Uc1 of
U (the on-site atom-atom interaction), below which the ground state is a bound state. Interestingly, close to the critical value ($U\ensuremath{\lesssim}{U}_{c1}$), the ground state can be described by the Chandrasekhar-type variational wave function, which was initially proposed for H${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. For
U>Uc1, the ground state is no longer a bound state. However, there exists a second (larger) critical value
Uc2 of
U, above which a molecule-type bound state is established and stabilized by the repulsion. We have also tried to solve for the eigenstates of the model using the Bethe ansatz. The model possesses a global
Z2 symmetry (parity) which allows classification of all eigenstates into even and odd states. It is found that all states with odd parity have the Bethe form, but none of the states in the even-parity sector. This allows us to identify analytically two odd-parity bound states, which appear in the parameter regions $\ensuremath{-}2V<U<\ensuremath{-}V$ and $\ensuremath{-}V<U<0$, respectively. Remarkably, the latter one can be embedded in the continuum spectrum with appropriate parameters. Moreover, in part of these regions, there exists an even-parity bound state accompanying the corresponding odd-parity bound state with almost the same energy.
A bound state in the continuum (BIC) is a spatially localized energy eigenstate embedded in a continuous spectrum of extended eigenstates. While diverse types of single-particle BICs have been reported in the literature, understanding how such localization persists in interacting many-body systems remains a fundamental problem. Here, we present numerical evidence and a perturbative analysis supporting the existence of many-body BICs in a one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard chain with an attractive impurity potential, a system previously known to host a BIC in the two-particle sector. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Bethe-type construction of the known two-particle BIC breaks down already for three particles even for arbitrary finite superpositions of Bethe waves. The resulting BICs violate the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis for several local one- and two-body observables, leading to nonthermal dynamics from experimentally accessible initial states.
In the framework of the Bose-Hubbard model, we show that two-particle surface bound states embedded in the continuum (BIC) can be sustained at the edge of a semi-infinite one-dimensional tight-binding lattice for any infinitesimally-small impurity potential V at the lattice boundary. Such thresholdless surface states, which can be referred to as Tamm-Hubbard BIC states, exist provided that the impurity potential V is attractive (repulsive) and the particle-particle Hubbard interaction U is repulsive (attractive), i.e. for UV < 0.
Abstract Bound states in the continuum (BICs), referring to spatially localized bound states with energies falling within the range of extended modes, have been extensively investigated in single-particle systems, leading to diverse applications in photonics, acoustics, and other classical-wave systems. Recently, there has been theoretical interest in exploring many-body BICs in interacting quantum systems, which necessitate the careful design of impurity potentials or spatial profiles of interaction. Here, we propose a type of many-body BICs localized at boundaries, which can be purely induced by the uniform onsite interaction without requiring any specific design of impurity potential or nonlocal interaction. We numerically show that three or more interacting bosons can concentrate on the boundary of a homogeneous one-dimensional lattice, which is absent at single- and two-particle counterparts. Moreover, the eigenenergy of multi-boson bound states can embed within the continuous energy spectra of extended scattering states, thereby giving rise to interaction-induced boundary many-body BICs. Furthermore, by mapping Fock states of three and four bosons to nonlinear circuit networks, we experimentally simulate boundary many-body BICs. Our findings enrich the comprehension of correlated BICs beyond the single-particle level, and have the potential to inspire future investigations on exploring many-body BICs.
An exactly solvable one-dimensional Hubbard model with a single Anderson impurity embedded at the boundary is constructed in the framework of the quantum inverse scattering method. The model is solved exactly by the nested Bethe ansatz method. We identify the boundary bound states and determine the ground state phase diagram. By analyzing the impurity contributions to the magnetization density and magnetic susceptibility, we demonstrate that a local moment is formed at the impurity site and is screened by the host electrons, consistent with Kondo physics.