Quantum scarred eigenstates in a Rydberg atom chain: Entanglement, breakdown of thermalization, and stability to perturbations

Abstract

Recent experiments on Rydberg-atom quantum simulators have observed surprising signatures of nonergodic quantum dynamics, which has been attributed to the emergence of ``many-body quantum scars.'' Here, the authors present a detailed study of the eigenstate properties of strongly interacting Rydberg-atom chains, identifying distinct families of quantum scarred states that are responsible for the revivals in the quench dynamics. The results show that quantum scarred states have distinct features, such as subthermal entanglement and anomalous expectation values of local observables. The presence of scarred eigenstates leaves an imprint on the rest of the many-body spectrum, leading to a weak breakdown of ergodicity.