Perfect wave-packet splitting and reconstruction in a one-dimensional lattice

Particle delocalization is a common feature of quantum random walks in arbitrary lattices. However, in the typical scenario a particle spreads over multiple sites and its evolution is not directly useful for controlled quantum interferometry, as may be required for technological applications. In this paper we devise a strategy to perfectly split the wave packet of an incoming particle into two components, each propagating in opposite directions, which reconstruct the shape of the initial wavefunction after a particular time t∗. Therefore, a particle in a δ-like initial state becomes exactly delocalized between two distant sites after t∗. We find the mathematical conditions to achieve the perfect splitting, which are satisfied by viable example Hamiltonians with static site-dependent interaction strengths. Our results pave the way for the generation of peculiar many-body interference patterns in a many-site atomic chain (such as the Hanbury Brown and Twiss and quantum Talbot effects) as well as for the distribution of entanglement between remote sites. Thus, as for the case of perfect state transfer, the perfect wave-packet splitting can be a new tool for varied applications.