Probing Defects with Quantum Simulator Snapshots

Area of Science:

• Quantum Simulation
• Condensed Matter Physics
• High Energy Physics

Background:

• Standard experimental quantum simulations collect data via local projective measurements, known as snapshots.
• These snapshots typically probe local physical properties of the quantum system.
• Probing defect physics often requires explicit introduction of defects, complicating experiments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel protocol for experimentally probing defect physics using only standard snapshots from the bulk of a quantum simulator.
• To demonstrate that this method can reveal information about defects without their explicit creation.
• To show the versatility of the protocol for studying different types of defects with the same dataset.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing snapshots of local spin configurations from quantum simulators (e.g., 1D Rydberg atom chains).
• Applying the proposed protocol to analyze bulk data.
• Developing analytical techniques to extract defect-specific information from snapshot data.

Main Results:

• Successfully extracted "defect entropy" from snapshot data.
• Demonstrated access to the continuous line of fixed points of effective defect conformal field theory.
• Showcased the ability to probe defect physics using data from the bulk system.

Conclusions:

• Standard snapshots from quantum simulators can be repurposed to experimentally probe defect physics.
• The proposed protocol offers a versatile and efficient method for defect characterization.
• This approach opens new avenues for studying topological order and quantum field theory in experimental platforms.