  Rydberg atom arrays have emerged as a novel platform exhibiting rich quantum
many-body physics and offering promise for universal quantum computation. The
Rydberg blockade effect plays an essential role in establishing many-body
correlations in this system. In this review, we will highlight that the lattice
gauge theory is an efficient description of the Rydberg blockade effect and
overview recent exciting developments in this system from equilibrium phases to
quantum dynamics. These developments include realizing exotic ground states
such as spin liquids, discovering quantum many-body scar states violating
quantum thermalization, and observing confinement-deconfinement transition
through quantum dynamics. We emphasize that the gauge theory description offers
a universal theoretical framework to capture all these phenomena. This
perspective of Rydberg atom arrays will inspire further the future development
of quantum simulation and quantum computation in this platform.
