Towards strongly correlated dynamics in many-body cavity QED using Rydbergs arrays

I will present an overview of novel operational regimes in many-body cavity QED made possible by embedding Rydberg atom arrays into optical cavities. The unique interplay between short- and long-range interactions enables dynamical phenomena with no direct counterpart in conventional quantum simulators.

These include the emergence of a new universality class of topological spin liquids, the prethermalization of light and matter at negative temperatures, and the formation of long-range quantum scars that generalize the paradigmatic PXP model. Our results open the door to a new class of experiments and NISQ devices, positioning them at the forefront of current efforts by several experimental groups worldwide.