Floquet transverse-field Ising dynamics in a Rydberg-dressed optical tweezer array

The transverse-field Ising model, a paradigmatic model of quantum magnetism, may be naturally implemented in a cold atom system by periodically alternating between pulses of Rydberg dressing to induce interactions and microwave rotations to emulate the transverse field. Time-dependent control of its two noncommuting terms — the interactions and the transverse field — allows one to utilize the model as a powerful tool for optimal control of entanglement, quantum optimization algorithms, emulating more complex spin models, or exploring driven quantum systems with no equilibrium analog. In previous experimental work in a bulk gas of cesium atoms, we demonstrated such a Floquet implementation of the transverse-field Ising model, observing dynamical signatures of a mean-field paramagnet-ferromagnet phase transition [1]. To optimize the coherence of the Ising interactions, we further developed a stroboscopic dressing protocol that enabled the generation of an array of squeezed spin states for quantum-enhanced sensing [2]. In this poster, we present experimental upgrades to an array of single atoms in optical tweezers, and discuss three directions enabled by the optical control of Ising interactions in tweezers: (a) Realization of Floquet symmetry-protected topological phases, (b) implementation of a kicked Ising model that displays dual-unitary dynamics, and (c) simulation of emergent black hole dynamics based on a Floquet conformal field theory.

[1] V. Borish, et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 063601 (2020).

[2] J.A. Hines, et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 063401 (2023).