Critical Time Crystals in Dipolar Systems
Abstract
We analyze the quantum dynamics of periodically driven, disordered systems in the presence of long-range interactions. Focusing on the stability of discrete time crystalline (DTC) order in such systems, we use a perturbative procedure to evaluate its lifetime. For 3D systems with dipolar interactions, we show that the corresponding decay is parametrically slow, implying that robust, long-lived DTC order can be obtained. We further predict a sharp crossover from the stable DTC regime into a regime where DTC order is lost, reminiscent of a phase transition. These results are in good agreement with the recent experiments utilizing a dense, dipolar spin ensemble in diamond [Nature 543, 221-225 (2017)]. They demonstrate the existence of a novel, critical DTC regime that is stabilized not by many-body localization but rather by slow, critical dynamics. Our analysis shows that the DTC response can be used as a sensitive probe of nonequilibrium quantum matter.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1703.04593,
title = {Critical Time Crystals in Dipolar Systems},
author = {Wen Wei Ho and Soonwon Choi and Mikhail D. Lukin and Dmitry A. Abanin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1703.04593},
year = {2017}
}
Comments
5 + 4 pages, 3 figures, updated references and corrected some typos, paper updated to match published version