Self-generated quantum gauge fields in arrays of Rydberg atoms

Abstract

As shown in recent experiments [V. Lienhard et al., Phys. Rev. X 10, 021031 (2020)], spin-orbit coupling in systems of Rydberg atoms can give rise to density-dependent Peierls Phases in second-order hoppings of Rydberg spin excitations and nearest-neighbor (NN) repulsion. We here study theoretically a one-dimensional zig-zag ladder system of such spin-orbit coupled Rydberg atoms at half filling. The second-order hopping is shown to be associated with an effective gauge field, which in mean-field approximation is static and homogeneous. Beyond the mean-field level the gauge potential attains a transverse quantum component whose amplitude is dynamical and linked to density modulations. We here study the effects of this to the possible ground-state phases of the system. In a phase where strong repulsion leads to a density wave, we find that as a consequence of the induced quantum gauge field a regular pattern of current vortices is formed. However also in the absence of density-density interactions the quantum gauge field attains a non-vanishing amplitude. Above a certain critical strength of the second-order hopping the energy gain due to gauge-field induced transport overcomes the energy cost from the associated build-up of density modulations leading to a spontaneous generation of the quantum gauge field.

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Cited by in corpus (9)

• Manipulating synthetic gauge fluxes via multicolor dressing of Rydberg-atom arrays
• Neutral atom entanglement using adiabatic Rydberg dressing
• Quantum spin ice in three-dimensional Rydberg atom arrays
• Chiral quantum router with Rydberg atoms
• False vacuum decay and nucleation dynamics in neutral atom systems
• Quantum spin liquids of Rydberg excitations in a honeycomb lattice induced by density-dependent Peierls phases
• Long-lived oscillations of metastable states in neutral atom systems
• Quantum Transports in Two-Dimensions with Long Range Hopping: Shielding, Localization and the Extended Isolated State
• Simulation of chiral motion of excitation within the ground-state manifolds of neutral atoms