Dynamical symmetry and pair tunneling in a one-dimensional Bose gas colliding with a mobile impurity

Using the time-dependent density-matrix renormalization group, we theoretically study the collision of a one-dimensional gas of interacting bosons with an impurity trapped in a shallow box potential. We study the dynamic response of both the impurity and the bosonic gas, and we find an approximate independence of the sign of the interaction (attractive or repulsive) between the impurity and the bosons. This sign independence breaks down when the interaction energy is of the same order as the box potential depth, leading to resonant pair tunneling. Our predictions can be tested using contemporary techniques with ultracold atoms.