Exploring Nonequilibrium Dynamics, Synchronization, and Relaxation in Designer Dipolar Rydberg Arrays

The development of complex quantum machines over recent decades has spurred a transformation in our understanding of how thermalization proceeds in quantum systems, as well as how some quantum systems subject to constraints may avoid or delay relaxation. The exploration of connections between many-body quantum systems and chaotic dynamics is enabled by emerging quantum technologies and at the same time central to helping them achieve their ultimate levels of coherence and sensing capabilities. Rydberg atom arrays are one of the most rapidly advancing platforms for scaling many-body quantum systems while allowing for individual control and measurement. The present project will open up new frontiers of complexity in Rydberg array experiments by accessing their rich multitude of internal states through precise microwave driving and optical addressing. The control capabilities to be developed in this project will establish new capabilities for controlling Rydberg interactions and engineering new forms of constrained dynamics beyond those found in existing experiments, allowing us to chart out new frontiers in the study of equilibration and thermalization in quantum systems. This project serves the national interest by promoting the progress of science, by advancing our understanding of and capabilities for manipulating complex quantum matter. The project will advance the state-of-the-art control of quantum systems of multi-level Rydberg atoms. The project will also train students (undergraduate and graduate) and postdoctoral researchers in experimental quantum technologies and science, providing the tools to contribute to the national priority research area of Quantum Information Science. The PI and his team will use optical tweezer arrays of rubidium atoms excited to high-lying Rydberg levels to explore nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum information and correlations. The project will use multiple Rydberg levels in a regime where atoms interact through dipolar spin exchange (dipole-dipole interactions), allowing Rydberg excitations to move between atoms in the array. These systems naturally realize complex quantum spin models relevant to open questions in condensed matter physics and quantum information science. The PI and his team will open up new capabilities for quantum control and quantum simulation by using highly-tailored microwaves and local optical addressing (for state preparation, Hamiltonian design, and state readout), studying non-equilibrium dynamics and dynamical quantum phase transitions in dipolar Rydberg arrays, and in general studying the competition between many-body chaos and interaction-driven synchronization of quantum spins. These experiments will shed new light on mechanisms that may help many-body quantum systems avoid thermalization and chaos, via naturally occurring constraints or through collective synchronization mechanisms. The research outcomes of this project will be relevant for fundamental questions of quantum thermodynamics as well as applied problems related to the control of quantum information in complex quantum machines. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2607737 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Bryce Gadway | Institution: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, UNIVERSITY PARK, PA | Award Amount: $545,250 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2607737 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2607737.html