Accepted Friday Nov 06, 2009
The quantum dynamics of a one-dimensional bosonic Josephson junction is studied by solving the time-dependent many-boson Schrödinger equation numerically exactly. Already for weak interparticle interactions and on short time scales, the commonly-employed mean-field and many-body methods are found to deviate substantially from the exact dynamics. The system exhibits rich many-body dynamics like enhanced tunneling and a novel equilibration phenomenon of the junction depending on the interaction, attributed to a quick loss of coherence.