February 19, 2020 | Antoine Browaeys & Thierry Lahaye
This article reviews the use of individually-controlled neutral atoms in Rydberg states as a platform for quantum simulation of many-body problems, particularly spin systems. The authors discuss the techniques used in quantum gas microscopes and optical tweezers arrays to control and manipulate these atoms, and explain how the interactions between Rydberg atoms can be mapped onto various quantum spin models. Recent results obtained with this platform to study quantum many-body physics are described, including experiments on the Ising and XY spin models. The article also explores the perspectives for future developments, such as improving simulation fidelity, scaling up the number of atoms, and extending the techniques to new atomic species. Additionally, it highlights the potential of using circular Rydberg states for more complex spin models and long-time dynamics studies, as well as the broader applications of Rydberg array quantum simulators in solving optimization problems through quantum annealing.This article reviews the use of individually-controlled neutral atoms in Rydberg states as a platform for quantum simulation of many-body problems, particularly spin systems. The authors discuss the techniques used in quantum gas microscopes and optical tweezers arrays to control and manipulate these atoms, and explain how the interactions between Rydberg atoms can be mapped onto various quantum spin models. Recent results obtained with this platform to study quantum many-body physics are described, including experiments on the Ising and XY spin models. The article also explores the perspectives for future developments, such as improving simulation fidelity, scaling up the number of atoms, and extending the techniques to new atomic species. Additionally, it highlights the potential of using circular Rydberg states for more complex spin models and long-time dynamics studies, as well as the broader applications of Rydberg array quantum simulators in solving optimization problems through quantum annealing.