Emptiness formation in the Lieb-Liniger gas: hydrodynamic instantons and a conjectured rate function

Abstract

We study the emptiness formation probability (EFP) in the ground state of the repulsive one-dimensional Lieb-Liniger Bose gas. For a macroscopic empty interval of length $2R$, its leading asymptotic behavior is described by a rate function $f(γ_0)$, defined by $-\log P(R)\sim(ρ_0R)^2f(γ_0)$, where $ρ_0$ is the mean density and $γ_0$ is the dimensionless interaction strength. We propose a parameter-free integral equation for $f(γ_0)$. Starting from the exact dual-field Fredholm-determinant representation of the EFP, we show how the conjectured kernel arises formally and identify the uniform asymptotic statement that remains to be proven for a rigorous derivation. The conjecture reproduces the Tonks-Girardeau and weak-coupling limits, as well as the first correction obtained independently in both limits. It also agrees at the few-percent level with numerical minimization of the Lieb-Liniger hydrodynamic action over more than four orders of magnitude in coupling. The numerical calculation yields the corresponding emptiness instantons and their astroid-like vacuum regions.