Simulation of many-body dynamics using Rydberg excitons

Abstract

The recent observation of high-lying Rydberg states of excitons in semiconductors with relatively high binding energy motivates exploring their applications in quantum nonlinear optics and quantum information processing. Here, we study Rydberg excitation dynamics of a mesoscopic array of excitons to demonstrate its application in simulation of quantum many-body dynamics. We show that the Z 2 -ordered phase can be reached using physical parameters available for cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) by optimizing driving laser parameters such as duration, intensity, and frequency. In an example, we study the application of our proposed system to solving the Maximum Independent Set (MIS) problem based on the Rydberg blockade effect.

Self-Kerr effect across the yellow $\mathrm{Cu_2O}$ Rydberg series

“…In particular, dense ultra-cold atomic gases excited to a high principal quantum number n (a Rydberg state) can induce strong nonlinearities at the level of individual photons [2,3]. Following in the footsteps of their atomic cousins, Rydberg excitons are attracting considerable attention as they represent an enticing path towards more scalable solid-state Rydberg systems [4], with potential for quantum simulation [5] and photon logic [6,7].…”