Quantum phases of Rydberg atoms on a kagome lattice

TL;DR

This paper investigates the complex quantum phases of Rydberg atoms arranged on a kagome lattice, revealing various solid phases, a novel highly entangled regime, and potential topological order, advancing quantum simulation research.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of Rydberg atom phases on a kagome lattice, identifying new dense excitation regimes and potential topological phases, using advanced numerical and theoretical methods.

Findings

Discovery of diverse solid phases with broken symmetries.

Identification of a dense, highly entangled Rydberg regime.

Potential existence of topologically ordered phases.

Abstract

We analyze the zero-temperature phases of an array of neutral atoms on the kagome lattice, interacting via laser excitation to atomic Rydberg states. Density-matrix renormalization group calculations reveal the presence of a wide variety of complex solid phases with broken lattice symmetries. In addition, we identify a novel regime with dense Rydberg excitations that has a large entanglement entropy and no local order parameter associated with lattice symmetries. From a mapping to the triangular lattice quantum dimer model, and theories of quantum phase transitions out of the proximate solid phases, we argue that this regime could contain one or more phases with topological order. Our results provide the foundation for theoretical and experimental explorations of crystalline and liquid states using programmable quantum simulators based on Rydberg atom arrays.