Tricritical Kibble-Zurek scaling in Rydberg atom ladders

Area of Science:

• Quantum simulation
• Phase transitions
• Statistical mechanics

Background:

• The Kibble-Zurek (KZ) mechanism describes defect formation during phase transitions.
• Tricritical points, where second-order phase transition lines end, are experimentally challenging to probe.
• Rydberg atom arrays offer a controllable platform for quantum simulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To theoretically propose and investigate the Kibble-Zurek mechanism at tricritical points.
• To experimentally measure tricritical exponents using Rydberg atom arrays.
• To explore quantum dynamics beyond the standard KZ paradigm.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing Rydberg atom arrays configured as two- and three-leg ladders.
• Slowly ramping Rabi frequency and detuning to probe KZ scaling.
• Analyzing data collapse using critical exponents and renormalization group flows.

Main Results:

• Extraction of two relevant tricritical exponents, ν and ν .
• Observation of renormalization group flows toward adjacent second-order critical lines at faster ramping speeds.
• Identification of a dynamical analog of Zamolodchikov's c-theorem.

Conclusions:

• The proposed protocol is implementable on existing Rydberg quantum simulators.
• This work provides a direct route to measuring distinct tricritical exponents and potential emergent supersymmetry constraints.
• The study deepens theoretical understanding and opens avenues for exploring beyond-KZ quantum dynamics.