Probing Quantum Many-Body Dynamics - From Many-Body Localization to Rydberg Gases

Probing the non-equilibrium dynamics of a many-body system can give new insight into dynamical phases of matter or for realizing highly entangled multi particle states that can be seen as a resource for quantum simulations and computations. In my talk I will give two example, focusing first on the dynamical evolution of a 2D strongly bosonic quantum gas exposed to tailored disorder potentials and coupled to a variable size bath. We explore new evidence for a Many-Body Localized (MBL) phase of matter in this system and explore its stability when coupled to the finite size bath. Furtheremore we probe the transition point to the MBL phase for different initial states, exploring an intriguing length-scale dependence of the transition.

In the second part of my talk, I will report on experiments using Rydberg dressed cold atom quantum gases. Rydberg dressing enables the controlled admixture of switchable, long range interactions in to a ultracold atom many-body setting. We explore the coherent many-body dynamics of the system using an interferometric probe in a sequence of collapse and revivals in the magnetization of the system. It is shown how the time traces can be used to explore the underlying energy structure of the long range quantum Ising magnet,. An outlook is given, how such systems can be used to realize novel Floquet phases of matter.