Continuous symmetry breaking in a trapped-ion spin chain

Lei Feng (), Or Katz (), Casey Haack, Mohammad Maghrebi, Alexey V. Gorshkov, Zhexuan Gong, Marko Cetina and Christopher Monroe ()
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Lei Feng: Duke University
Or Katz: Duke University
Casey Haack: Colorado School of Mines
Mohammad Maghrebi: Michigan State University
Alexey V. Gorshkov: University of Maryland and NIST
Zhexuan Gong: Colorado School of Mines
Marko Cetina: Duke University
Christopher Monroe: Duke University

Nature, 2023, vol. 623, issue 7988, 713-717

Abstract: Abstract One-dimensional systems exhibiting a continuous symmetry can host quantum phases of matter with true long-range order only in the presence of sufficiently long-range interactions1. In most physical systems, however, the interactions are short-ranged, hindering the emergence of such phases in one dimension. Here we use a one-dimensional trapped-ion quantum simulator to prepare states with long-range spin order that extends over the system size of up to 23 spins and is characteristic of the continuous symmetry-breaking phase of matter2,3. Our preparation relies on simultaneous control over an array of tightly focused individual addressing laser beams, generating long-range spin–spin interactions. We also observe a disordered phase with frustrated correlations. We further study the phases at different ranges of interaction and the out-of-equilibrium response to symmetry-breaking perturbations. This work opens an avenue to study new quantum phases and out-of-equilibrium dynamics in low-dimensional systems.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06656-7

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