Observation of non-Hermitian many-body phase transition in a Rydberg-atom array

Fuente: arXiv
Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori principali: Zhang, Yao-Wen, Xu, Biao, Zhou, Yijia, Xiang, De-Sheng, Liu, Hao-Xiang, Zhou, Peng, Zhang, Kuan, Liao, Ren, Pohl, Thomas, Li, Weibin, Li, Lin
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
Soggetti:
Accesso online:
Tags: Aggiungi Tag
Nessun Tag, puoi essere il primo ad aggiungerne!!
_version_ 1866915648883392512
author Zhang, Yao-Wen
Xu, Biao
Zhou, Yijia
Xiang, De-Sheng
Liu, Hao-Xiang
Zhou, Peng
Zhang, Kuan
Liao, Ren
Pohl, Thomas
Li, Weibin
Li, Lin
author_facet Zhang, Yao-Wen
Xu, Biao
Zhou, Yijia
Xiang, De-Sheng
Liu, Hao-Xiang
Zhou, Peng
Zhang, Kuan
Liao, Ren
Pohl, Thomas
Li, Weibin
Li, Lin
contents Non-Hermitian quantum mechanics with parity-time (PT) symmetry offers a powerful framework for exploring the complex interplay of dissipation and coherent interactions in open quantum systems. While PT-symmetry breaking has been studied in various physical systems, its observation on a quantum many-body level remains elusive. Here, we experimentally realize a non-Hermitian XY model in a strongly-interacting Rydberg-atom array. By measuring the Loschmidt Echo of a fully polarized state, we observe distinct dynamical signatures of a PT-symmetry-breaking phase transition. Dipole interactions are found to play a crucial role, not only determining the transition point but also triggering a non-Hermitian many-body blockade effect that protects the Loschmidt Echo from decay with a non-monotonic dependence on the system size. Our results reveal intricate interaction-induced effects on PT-symmetry breaking and open the door for exploring non-Hermitian many-body dynamics beyond single-particle and mean-field paradigms.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_02753
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Observation of non-Hermitian many-body phase transition in a Rydberg-atom array
Zhang, Yao-Wen
Xu, Biao
Zhou, Yijia
Xiang, De-Sheng
Liu, Hao-Xiang
Zhou, Peng
Zhang, Kuan
Liao, Ren
Pohl, Thomas
Li, Weibin
Li, Lin
Quantum Physics
Atomic Physics
Non-Hermitian quantum mechanics with parity-time (PT) symmetry offers a powerful framework for exploring the complex interplay of dissipation and coherent interactions in open quantum systems. While PT-symmetry breaking has been studied in various physical systems, its observation on a quantum many-body level remains elusive. Here, we experimentally realize a non-Hermitian XY model in a strongly-interacting Rydberg-atom array. By measuring the Loschmidt Echo of a fully polarized state, we observe distinct dynamical signatures of a PT-symmetry-breaking phase transition. Dipole interactions are found to play a crucial role, not only determining the transition point but also triggering a non-Hermitian many-body blockade effect that protects the Loschmidt Echo from decay with a non-monotonic dependence on the system size. Our results reveal intricate interaction-induced effects on PT-symmetry breaking and open the door for exploring non-Hermitian many-body dynamics beyond single-particle and mean-field paradigms.
title Observation of non-Hermitian many-body phase transition in a Rydberg-atom array
topic Quantum Physics
Atomic Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02753