Microscopic theory of the friction force exerted on a quantum impurity in one-dimensional quantum liquids

Abstract

We study the motion of a slow quantum impurity in one-dimensional environments focusing on systems of strongly interacting bosons and weakly interacting fermions. While at zero temperature the impurity motion is frictionless, at low temperatures finite friction appears. The dominant process is the scattering of the impurity off two fermionic quasiparticles. We evaluate the friction force and show that, at low temperatures, it scales either as the fourth or the sixth power of temperature, depending on the system parameters. This is a result of the scattering of the impurity off two fermionic quasiparticles that are situated around different Fermi points. It is the dominant process at low temperatures. We also evaluate the contribution to the friction force originating from the scattering of the impurity off two fermionic quasiparticles that are situated around different Fermi points. It behaves as the tenth power of temperature.