Experimental realization of a 3D long-range random hopping model

Abstract

Randomness and disorder have strong impact on transport processes in quantum systems and give rise to phenomena such as Anderson localization [1-3], many-body localization [4] or glassy dynamics [5]. Their characteristics thereby depend on the strength and type of disorder. An important class are hopping models, where particles or excitations move through a system which has randomized couplings. This includes, e.g., spin glasses [5], coupled optical waveguides [6], or NV center arrays [7]. They are also key to understand excitation transport in molecular and biological systems, such as light harvesting complexes [8]. In many of those systems, the microscopic coupling mechanism is provided by the dipole-dipole interaction. Rydberg systems [9] are therefore a natural candidate to study random hopping models. Here, we experimentally study a three-dimensional many-body Rydberg system with random dipole-dipole couplings. We measure the spectrum of the many-body system and find good agreement with an effective spin model. We also find spectroscopic signatures of a localization-delocalization transition. Our results pave the way to study transport processes and localization phenomena in random hopping models in detail. The inclusion of strong correlations is experimentally straightforward and will allow to study the interplay between random hopping and localization in strongly interacting systems.

7 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (7)

• Direct observation of Anderson localization of matter-waves in a controlled disorder
• Coherent Excitation Transfer in a Spin Chain of Three Rydberg Atoms
• Electric-field induced dipole blockade with Rydberg atoms
• Localization phenomena in interacting Rydberg lattice gases with position disorder
• Spectral Line Width Broadening from Pair Fluctuation in a Frozen Rydberg Gas
• The Spectral Backbone of Excitation Transport in Ultra-Cold Rydberg Gases
• Experimental realization of a 3D long-range random hopping model

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Engineering random spin models with atoms in a high-finesse cavity
• Experimental realization of a 3D long-range random hopping model
• On-Site Potential Creates Complexity in Systems with Disordered Coupling
• Quantum Many-Body Scars in Few-Body Dipole-Dipole Interactions
• Superdiffusion in random two dimensional system with time-reversal symmetry and long-range hopping