Quantum simulation of 2D antiferromagnets with hundreds of Rydberg atoms

Quantum simulation using synthetic systems is a promising route to solve outstanding quantum many-body problems in regimes where other approaches, including numerical ones, fail(1). Many platforms are being developed towards this goal, in particular based on trapped ions(2-4), superconducting circuits(5-7), neutral atoms(8-11) or molecules(12,13). All of these platforms face two key challenges: scaling up the ensemble size while retaining high-quality control over the parameters, and validating the outputs for these large systems. Here we use programmable arrays of individual atom strapped in optical tweezers, with interactions controlled by laser excitation to Rydberg states(11), to implement an iconic many-body problem-the antiferromagnetic two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model. We push this platform to a regime with up to 196 atoms manipulated with high fidelity and probe the antiferromagnetic order by dynamically tuning the parameters of the Hamiltonian. We illustrate the versatility of our platform by exploring various system sizes on two qualitatively different geometries-square and triangular arrays. We obtain good agreement with numerical calculations up to a computationally feasible size (approximately 100 particles). This work demonstrates that our platform can be readily used to address open questions in many-body physics.

Automated summary

The article introduces the use of synthetic systems for quantum simulation to solve many-body problems, discussing challenges faced by different platforms. By utilizing an array of atoms in optical tweezers, the study successfully implements a classic many-body problem and demonstrates the platform's versatility through exploring different system sizes.