Quantum criticality and factorization in a constrained Rydberg spin chain

Abstract

We investigate the zero-temperature phase diagram of a one-dimensional constrained quantum spin chain realized in coherently driven Rydberg-atom arrays with competing local Rabi driving and dipole-dipole exchange interactions. Projecting onto the blockade-constrained Hilbert space yields an effective model in which local and nonlocal quantum fluctuations compete on equal footing. Combining exact diagonalization, the density-matrix renormalization group, and variational uniform matrix-product-state calculations, we establish a complete phase diagram comprising a Luttinger liquid, an antiferromagnetic ordered phase, and a polarized paramagnet. We identify two distinct mechanisms for the destruction of antiferromagnetic order: a conventional Ising transition at strong driving and a continuous quantum melting into the Luttinger liquid at weak driving, characterized using entanglement-based diagnostics and finite-entanglement scaling. In addition, we uncover an exact ground-state factorization line embedded within the ordered phase, providing an analytically tractable zero-entanglement reference point for experiments with programmable Rydberg quantum simulators.