article epub_ahead yes Aron Kerschbaumer author ade85a9c-3200-11ee-973b-91c1eb2404100009-0002-2370-8661 Jean-Yves Marc Desaules author 6c292945-a610-11ed-9eec-c3be1ad62a800000-0002-3749-6375 Marko Ljubotina author F75EE9BE-5C90-11EA-905D-16643DDC885E0000-0003-0038-7068 Maksym Serbyn author 47809E7E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0002-2399-5827 MaSe department GradSch department IST-BRIDGE: International postdoctoral program project Solitons—localized wave packets that travel without spreading—play a central role in understanding transport and properties of nonlinear systems. In quantum many-body systems, however, such robust excitations are typically destroyed by thermalization. Here, we theoretically demonstrate the existence of solitonic excitations in high-energy states of Rydberg atom chains in the regime of strong nearest-neighbor Rydberg blockade. These localized wave packets propagate directionally atop a special class of reviving initial states related to quantum many-body scars and are capable of carrying energy. Exhibiting long coherence times, these states constitute a form of non-ergodic quantum dynamics and can be efficiently implemented on Rydberg atom simulators. In this work, in addition to a phenomenological description of solitons, we identify their counterpart in a classical nonlinear dynamical system, demonstrate their potential use in quantum information transfer, and conjecture their relevance for anomalous energy transport reported in numerical studies of Rydberg atom arrays. Springer Nature2026 eng 2041-172310.1038/s41467-026-75598-1 Kerschbaumer, Aron, Jean-Yves Marc Desaules, Marko Ljubotina, and Maksym Serbyn. “Quasi-Solitons in Rydberg Atom Chains.” <i>Nature Communications</i>. Springer Nature, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1</a>. Kerschbaumer A, Desaules J-YM, Ljubotina M, Serbyn M. Quasi-solitons in Rydberg atom chains. <i>Nature Communications</i>. 2026. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1">10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1</a> Kerschbaumer, A., Desaules, J.-Y. M., Ljubotina, M., &#38; Serbyn, M. (2026). Quasi-solitons in Rydberg atom chains. <i>Nature Communications</i>. Springer Nature. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1</a> A. Kerschbaumer, J.-Y. M. Desaules, M. Ljubotina, and M. Serbyn, “Quasi-solitons in Rydberg atom chains,” <i>Nature Communications</i>. Springer Nature, 2026. Kerschbaumer, Aron, et al. “Quasi-Solitons in Rydberg Atom Chains.” <i>Nature Communications</i>, Springer Nature, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1">10.1038/s41467-026-75598-1</a>. Kerschbaumer A, Desaules J-YM, Ljubotina M, Serbyn M. 2026. Quasi-solitons in Rydberg atom chains. Nature Communications. A. Kerschbaumer, J.-Y.M. Desaules, M. Ljubotina, M. Serbyn, Nature Communications (2026). 224082026-07-27T07:26:27Z2026-07-30T05:42:17Z