Discrete solitons in Rydberg atom chains

TL;DR

This paper theoretically demonstrates the existence of long-lived, energy-carrying solitonic excitations in high-energy states of Rydberg atom chains, revealing a novel non-ergodic quantum dynamic phenomenon with potential quantum information applications.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of quantum solitons in Rydberg chains, linking quantum many-body scars to classical nonlinear dynamics and proposing their use in quantum information transfer.

Findings

Solitons propagate directionally in Rydberg chains.

Long coherence times of these solitonic states.

Potential for efficient quantum information transfer.

Abstract

Solitons - localized wave packets that travel without spreading - play a central role in understanding transport and properties of nonlinear systems, from optical fibers to fluid dynamics. In quantum many-body systems, however, such robust excitations are typically destroyed by thermalization. Here, we theoretically demonstrate the existence of solitonic excitations in high-energy states of Rydberg atom chains in the regime of strong nearest-neighbor Rydberg blockade. These localized wave packets propagate directionally atop a special class of reviving initial states related to quantum many-body scars and are capable of carrying energy. Exhibiting long coherence times, these states constitute a novel type of non-ergodic quantum dynamics and can be efficiently implemented on Rydberg atom simulators. In addition to a phenomenological description of solitons, we identify their counterpart in a classical nonlinear dynamical system obtained from a variational projection of the quantum dynamics. We demonstrate the potential use of solitons in quantum information transfer and conjecture their relevance for the anomalous energy transport reported in numerical studies of Rydberg atom arrays.