Strongly interacting Rydberg atoms in synthetic dimensions with a magnetic flux

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the control and observation of strongly interacting Rydberg atoms in synthetic dimensions with a tunable magnetic flux, revealing complex many-body dynamics and phases.

Contribution

It extends synthetic dimension techniques to strongly interacting Rydberg systems, enabling exploration of novel many-body phenomena with precise gauge field control.

Findings

Coherent dynamics in Rydberg synthetic lattices match theoretical predictions.

Single atoms exhibit controllable oscillatory behavior influenced by gauge fields.

Interacting atom arrays show signs of ergodic and arrested many-body dynamics.

Abstract

Synthetic dimensions, wherein dynamics occurs in a set of internal states, have found great success in recent years in exploring topological effects in cold atoms and photonics. However, the phenomena thus far explored have largely been restricted to the non-interacting or weakly interacting regimes. Here, we extend the synthetic dimensions playbook to strongly interacting systems of Rydberg atoms prepared in optical tweezer arrays. We use precise control over driving microwave fields to introduce a tunable $U(1)$ flux in a four-site lattice of coupled Rydberg levels. We find highly coherent dynamics, in good agreement with theory. Single atoms show oscillatory dynamics controllable by the gauge field. Small arrays of interacting atoms exhibit behavior suggestive of the emergence of ergodic and arrested dynamics in the regimes of intermediate and strong interactions, respectively. These demonstrations pave the way for future explorations of strongly interacting dynamics and many-body phases in Rydberg synthetic lattices.