Folded multistability and hidden critical point in microwave-driven Rydberg atoms

The interactions between Rydberg atoms and microwave fields provide a valuable framework for studying the complex dynamics out of equilibrium, exotic phases, and critical phenomena in many-body physics. This unique interplay allows us to explore various regimes of nonlinearity and phase transitions. Here, we observe a phase transition from the state in the regime of bistability to that in multistability in strongly interacting Rydberg atoms by varying the microwave field intensity, accompanying with the breaking of Z3-symmetry. During the phase transition, the system experiences a hidden critical point, in which the multistable states are difficult to be identified. Through changing the initial state of system, we can identify a hidden multistable state and reveal a hidden trajectory of phase transition, allowing us to track to a hidden critical point. In addition, we observe multiple phase transitions in spectra, suggesting higher-order symmetry breaking. The reported results shed light on manipulating multistability in dissipative Rydberg atoms systems and hold promise in the applications of non-equilibrium many-body physics.