Dynamics of waves in one-dimensional electron systems: Density oscillations driven by population inversion

We explore dynamics of a density pulse induced by a local quench in a one-dimensional electron system. The spectral curvature leads to an "overturn" (population inversion) of the wave. We show that beyond this time, the density profile develops strong oscillations with a period much larger than the Fermi wavelength. The effect is studied first for the case of free fermions by means of direct quantum simulations and via semiclassical analysis of the evolution of Wigner function. We demonstrate then that the period of oscillations is correctly reproduced by a hydrodynamic theory with an appropriate dispersive term. Finally, we explore the effect of different types of electron-electron interaction on the phenomenon. We show that sufficiently strong interaction [U(r)â‰1/mr2 where m is the fermionic mass and r the relevant spatial scale] determines the dominant dispersive term in the hydrodynamic equations. Hydrodynamic theory reveals crucial dependence of the density evolution on the relative sign of the interaction and the density perturbation.