Novel ground states and emergent quantum many-body scars in a two-species Rydberg atom array

TL;DR

This paper explores the ground states and quantum many-body scars in a two-species Rydberg atom array, revealing novel quantum states, phases, and dynamics with potential for quantum simulation and computation.

Contribution

It systematically analyzes the phase diagram of a two-species Rydberg array, discovering new quantum states and a unique type of quantum many-body scar not seen in single-species systems.

Findings

Identification of novel ground states like period 4 and 6 product states

Confirmation of floating phase with two interacting bosonic fields

Discovery of a new type of quantum many-body scar explained by perturbation theory

Abstract

Rydberg atom array has been established as one appealing platform for quantum simulation and quantum computation. Recent experimental development of trapping and controlling two-species atoms using optical tweezer arrays has brought more complex interactions in this game, enabling much versatile novel quantum states and phenomena to emerge and thus leading to a growing need for both theoretical and numerical investigations in this regard. In this paper we systematically calculate the ground state phase diagram of alternating two-species atom array and find some novel quantum states that cannot exist in traditional cold-atom platforms, for instance the period $4$ product state $|1100\rangle^{\otimes m}$, the period $6$ product state $|111000\rangle^{\otimes m}$ and order-disorder separation phase. We also confirm the existence of floating phase, however, in this system it has to be described by two interacting bosonic fields whereas that in the single species Rydberg atom array can be understood as free bosons. More interestingly, in the quench dynamics we discover a type of new quantum many-body scar distinct from that previous found in single species atoms which is explained by low-energy effective theory of the PXP model. Instead, the underlying physics of the newly found quantum many-body scar can be described by a perturbation theory spanning the whole energy spectrum. Detailed analysis on how to experimentally prepare these states and observe the phenomena is provided. Numerical evidence shows that the proposed scheme is robust against typical experimentally relevent imperfections and thus it is implementable. Our work opens new avenue for quantum simulating novel quantum many-body states both in and out of equilibrium arising from the interplay of competing interactions of different atom species and quantum fluctuations.