Controllable, coherent many-body systems can provide insights into thefundamental properties of quantum matter, enable the realization of new quantumphases and could ultimately lead to computational systems that outperformexisting computers based on classical approaches. Here we demonstrate a methodfor creating controlled many-body quantum matter that combinesdeterministically prepared, reconfigurable arrays of individually trapped coldatoms with strong, coherent interactions enabled by excitation to Rydbergstates. We realize a programmable Ising-type quantum spin model with tunableinteractions and system sizes of up to 51 qubits. Within this model, we observephase transitions into spatially ordered states that break various discretesymmetries, verify the high-fidelity preparation of these states andinvestigate the dynamics across the phase transition in large arrays of atoms.In particular, we observe robust manybody dynamics corresponding to persistentoscillations of the order after a rapid quantum quench that results from asudden transition across the phase boundary. Our method provides a way ofexploring many-body phenomena on a programmable quantum simulator and couldenable realizations of new quantum algorithms.
展开▼
