Classical and quantum time crystals in a levitated nanoparticle without drive

Yi Huang, Qihao Guo, Anda Xiong, Tongcang Li, Zhang Qi Yin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A time crystal is defined as a phase of matter spontaneously exhibiting a periodicity in time. Previous studies focused on discrete quantum time crystals under periodic drive. Here, we propose a time crystal model based on a levitated charged nanoparticle in a static magnetic field without drive. Both the classical time crystal in thermal equilibrium and the quantum time crystal in the ground state can emerge in the spin rotational mode, under a strong magnetic field or large charge-to-mass ratio limit. Additionally, the time polycrystal is defined and naturally appears in this model. Our model paves a way for realizing time crystals in thermal equilibrium.

Original languageEnglish
Article number023113
JournalPhysical Review A
Volume102
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2020

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Huang, Y., Guo, Q., Xiong, A., Li, T., & Yin, Z. Q. (2020). Classical and quantum time crystals in a levitated nanoparticle without drive. Physical Review A, 102(2), Article 023113. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.102.023113