Continuous symmetry breaking in a trapped-ion spin chain.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37968402.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41586-023-06656-7.
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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 interactions<sup>1</sup>. 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 matter<sup>2,3</sup>. 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.