Neutral-atom quantum simulation of Shastry-Sutherland Ising materials

In this work, we simulate the phase diagram of a frustrated Ising model with transverse and longitudinal fields on a Shastry-Sutherland lattice with more than 110 atoms, mapped directly to a Rydberg atom Hamiltonian. Combining both theoretical and experimental approaches, we use the density matrix renormalization group to map a detailed phase diagram in a three-dimensional parameter space that is accessible on current Rydberg atom platforms. In addition to several classical phases, we reveal phases stabilized purely by quantum fluctuations. Simulating this Ising model on QuEra’s neutral atom quantum simulator, we observe good agreement between theory and experiment. Our findings also have direct, testable implications for the physics of rare-earth tetraborides in magnetic fields, highlighting how emerging quantum simulators provide new insights into the physics of strongly correlated materials.