Observing emergent hydrodynamics in a long-range quantum magnet

Abstract

Identifying universal properties of nonequilibrium quantum states is a major challenge in modern physics. A fascinating prediction is that classical hydrodynamics emerges universally in the evolution of any interacting quantum system. We experimentally probed the quantum dynamics of 51 individually controlled ions, realizing a long-range interacting spin chain. By measuring space-time–resolved correlation functions in an infinite temperature state, we observed a whole family of hydrodynamic universality classes, ranging from normal diffusion to anomalous superdiffusion, that are described by Lévy flights. We extracted the transport coefficients of the hydrodynamic theory, reflecting the microscopic properties of the system. Our observations demonstrate the potential for engineered quantum systems to provide key insights into universal properties of nonequilibrium states of quantum matter.