What route to time crystals do the TU Wien researchers propose?

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.

How does this study challenge prior assumptions about quantum correlations and time crystals?

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.

What is a time crystal, as described in the study?

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.

What experimental model did the researchers use to illustrate the effect?

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.

What are the broader implications for quantum matter?

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.

维也纳理工大学发现粒子相互作用可促成新型时间晶体

维也纳工业大学 (TU Wien) 的科学家们报告了一种产生时间晶体的新途径：粒子间的量子关联可以创造并稳定一种持久的时间律动，而不是破坏它。这项发表在《物理评论快报》(Physical Review Letters) 上的研究结果修正了一个长期以来的假设，即此类关联必然会使时间有序相变得不稳定。

无需外部驱动的律动

与需要外力的典型周期性现象不同，时间晶体表现出一种在时间上内部生成的重复模式。这一概念最早于 2012 年提出，最初强调极度的隔离，以保护时间顺序免受量子涨落的影响。这项新研究表明，某些多体量子相互作用反而可以支持稳定、重复的时间模式。

量子涨落中涌现的秩序

该团队发现，集体量子行为可以将原本不规则的涨落转变为稳定的振荡。首席研究员 Felix Russo 及其同事描述了粒子间的关联如何产生在单个粒子层面并不明显的协调动力学，从而使时间模式得以持久。

实验模型：搏动的晶格

对量子物质的意义

该研究强调，量子系统中的涌现秩序可以源于集体相互作用，这为探索量子物质的非平衡相提供了新的实验目标。

维也纳理工大学研究发现：粒子相互作用促成新型时间晶体

无需外部驱动的律动

量子涨落中涌现的秩序

实验模型：搏动的晶格

对量子物质的意义

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Mattias Risberg

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