Particle Interactions Enable a New Class of Time Crystal, TU Wien Study Finds

Physics By Mattias Risberg
Particle Interactions Enable a New Class of Time Crystal, TU Wien Study Finds
Researchers at TU Wien report that quantum correlations between particles can produce self-sustaining temporal order, challenging the view that such correlations only disrupt time crystals.

Scientists at TU Wien in Vienna report a new route to producing time crystals: quantum correlations between particles can create and stabilize a persistent temporal rhythm rather than destroy it. The results, published in Physical Review Letters, revise a long-standing assumption that such correlations necessarily destabilize time-ordered phases.

Rhythm without an external driver

Unlike typical periodic phenomena that require an external force, a time crystal exhibits a repeating pattern generated internally in time. The concept, first proposed in 2012, originally emphasized extreme isolation to protect the temporal order from quantum fluctuations. The new study shows that certain many-body quantum interactions can instead support a steady, repeating temporal pattern.

Order emerging from quantum fluctuations

The team found that collective quantum behavior can transform what would be irregular fluctuations into a stable oscillation. Lead researcher Felix Russo and colleagues describe how correlations among particles produce coordinated dynamics that are not apparent at the level of single particles, allowing a temporal pattern to persist.

Experimental model: a beating lattice

Implications for quantum matter

The study highlights that emergent order in quantum systems can arise from collective interactions, suggesting new experimental targets for exploring nonequilibrium phases of quantum matter.

Tags

condensed matter quantum time crystals
Mattias Risberg

Mattias Risberg

Cologne-based science & technology reporter tracking semiconductors, space policy and data-driven investigations.

University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln) • Cologne, Germany

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Readers Questions Answered

Q What route to time crystals do the TU Wien researchers propose?
A Researchers at TU Wien report a new route to time crystals: quantum correlations between particles can generate and stabilize a persistent temporal rhythm, instead of destroying the time-ordered phase. The finding, published in Physical Review Letters, shows that certain many-body quantum interactions can support a steady, self-sustained oscillation in time without external driving.
Q How does this study challenge prior assumptions about quantum correlations and time crystals?
A The study revises a long-standing assumption that quantum correlations among particles destabilize time-ordered phases. Instead, the TU Wien team shows that certain many-body interactions and correlations can produce and stabilize a self-sustained temporal rhythm, demonstrating that rather than destroying temporal order, correlations can support and maintain it.
Q What is a time crystal, as described in the study?
A A time crystal is a system that exhibits a repeating pattern generated internally in time, without reliance on an external driving force. The concept, first proposed in 2012, highlighted extreme isolation as a means to protect the temporal order from quantum fluctuations, though the new work shows that collective interactions can also sustain such a rhythm.
Q What experimental model did the researchers use to illustrate the effect?
A The researchers modeled the phenomenon using an experimental setup described as a beating lattice, where collective quantum dynamics and particle correlations drive coordinated oscillations. This beating lattice serves as the platform to illustrate how emergent order can arise from interactions, producing a stable temporal pattern without external forcing.
Q What are the broader implications for quantum matter?
A The findings imply that emergent order in quantum systems can arise from collective interactions, rather than solely from isolation. This perspective suggests new experimental targets for exploring nonequilibrium phases of quantum matter, where time-crystal-like rhythms can persist due to correlations. It points to a broader class of self-sustained temporal order driven by many-body dynamics.

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