Quantum coarsening and collective dynamics on a programmable quantum simulator

by Dr Rhine Samajdar (Princeton University)

Tuesday 22 Oct 2024, 14:30 → 15:30 Europe/Zurich

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Understanding the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of a closed quantum system driven across a quantum phase transition is an important problem with widespread implications for quantum state preparation and adiabatic algorithms. While the quantum Kibble-Zurek mechanism elucidates part of these dynamics, the subsequent and significant coarsening processes lie beyond its scope. Here, we develop a universal description of such coarsening dynamics---and their interplay with the Kibble-Zurek mechanism---in terms of scaling theories. Our comprehensive theoretical framework applies to a diverse set of ramp protocols and encompasses various coarsening scenarios involving both quantum and thermal fluctuations. Moreover, we highlight how such coarsening dynamics can be directly studied in today's "synthetic" quantum many-body systems, including Rydberg atom arrays, and present detailed results on the experimental observation of such collective dynamics across a (2+1)D Ising quantum phase transition.