Meson spectroscopy of exotic symmetries of Ising criticality in Rydberg atom arrays

The Ising model serves as a canonical platform for exploring emergent symmetry in quantum critical systems. The critical point of the 1D Ising chain is described by a conformal Ising field theory, which remains integrable in the presence of a magnetic perturbation leading to massive particles associated with the exceptional Lie algebra E₈. Coupling two Ising chains in a ladder leads to an even richer D⁽¹⁾₈ symmetry. Experimental signatures of the associated particle excitations have arguably been observed in scattering studies of the spin chain material CoNb₂O₆. Here, we probe these emergent symmetries in a Rydberg atom quantum processing unit, leveraging its tunable geometry to realize both chain and ladder configurations. We identify mass spectra consistent with E₈ and D⁽¹⁾₈ symmetries at the respective critical points. Our results demonstrate the power of Rydberg platforms for investigating symmetry emergence in quantum many-body systems and provide a direct window into the interplay of confinement, geometry and criticality.