Quantum Simulation and Computation with Programmable Rydberg Atom Arrays*

Arrays of neutral atoms in reconfigurable geometries has arisen as a powerful platform for quantum science in the past few years. Strong and controllable interactions introduced through the Rydberg blockade mechanism lead to a rich set of both equilibrium and non-equilibrium many-body phenomena. Recently we have used a one-dimensional version of this platform to study the critical properties of various quantum phase transitions, generate large N-partite entangled states, and develop new techniques to implement two- and three-qubit quantum logic gates with high fidelity.

I will present recent progress towards extending our experimental platform to control hundreds of atoms in arbitrary two-dimensional geometries, and the new prospects for quantum simulation and computation in these large-scale atom arrays.