Quantum Spin Puddles and Lakes: NISQ-Era Spin Liquids from Non-Equilibrium Dynamics

While many-body systems can host long-ranged entangled quantum spin liquids (QSLs), the ingredients for realizing these as ground states can be prohibitively difficult. In many circumstances, one requires (i) a constrained Hilbert space and (ii) an extensive quantum superposition. The paradigmatic example is the toric code, or $\mathbb{Z}_2$ spin liquid, which is a superposition of closed loop states. We show how non-equilibrium Hamiltonian dynamics can provide a streamlined route toward creating such QSLs. Rather than cooling into the ground state of a Hamiltonian, we show how a simple parameter sweep can dynamically project a family of initial product states into the constrained space, giving rise to a QSL. For the toric code, this is achieved in systems with a separation in energy scales between the $e$- and $m$-anyons, where one can sweep in a way that is adiabatic (sudden) with respect to the former (latter). Although this separation of scales does not extend to the thermodynamic limit, we analytically and numerically show that this method efficiently prepares a spin liquid in finite-sized regions, which we brand ``quantum spin lakes.'' This mechanism elucidates recent experimental and numerical observations of the dynamical state preparation of the ruby lattice spin liquid in Rydberg atom arrays. In fact, the slow dynamics of $m$-anyons suggest that we can capture spin lake preparation by simulating the dynamics on tree lattices, which we confirm with tensor network simulations. Finally, we use this mechanism to propose new experiments, e.g., for preparing a finite-sized $U(1)$ spin liquid as a honeycomb Rokhsar-Kivelson dimer model using Rydberg atoms -- which is remarkable given its equilibrium counterpart is unstable in $2 + 1$D. Our work opens up a new avenue in the study of non-equilibrium physics, as well as the exploration of exotic states of finite extent in NISQ devices.