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Prolegomena to a hybrid classical-Rydberg simulator for hadronization

Blake Senseman1, Zane Ozzello1, Kenneth Heitritter1,2, Yannick Meurice1, and Stephen Mrenna2

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 036017 – Published 13 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/nc3s-4bvb

Abstract

Programmable neutral-atom arrays provide a promising route to real-time analog simulation of strongly interacting quantum systems. We introduce a two-leg Rydberg-atom ladder that realizes string dynamics and controllable particle production using experimentally accessible parameters. A mapping between local Rydberg occupations and an emergent electric field yields charge-anticharge pairs connected by dynamical strings. Classical simulations enforcing Rydberg blockade constraints identify regimes with suppressed entanglement spreading and tunable particle multiplicities, which are seen to be signatures of confinement and string breaking. Particle multiplicities typically grow monotonically with time and system size and depend sensitively on simulator detuning and interaction scales. These results establish the ladder geometry as a viable near-term analog quantum simulator of string fragmentation and motivate hybrid workflows in which quantum devices contribute nonperturbative real-time dynamics to event generation.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 036017– Published 13 August, 2026
  • Received 15 February 2023
  • Revised 11 March 2026
  • Accepted 15 June 2026
Article part of CHORUS
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