Quantum time crystals with programmable disorder in higher dimensions

Physical review. B./Physical review. B, vol. 103

Abstract

We present fresh evidence for the presence of discrete quantum time crystals in two spatial dimensions. Discrete time crystals are intricate quantum systems that break discrete time translation symmetry in driven quantum many-body systems undergoing nonequilibrium dynamics. They are stabilized by many-body localization arising from disorder. We directly target the thermodynamic limit using instances of infinite tensor network states, and we implement disorder in a translationally invariant setting by introducing auxiliary systems at each site. We discuss how such disorder can be realized in programmable quantum simulators: This gives rise to the interesting situation in which a classical tensor network simulation can contribute to devising a blueprint of a quantum simulator featuring prethermal time crystalline dynamics, one that will ultimately have to be built in order to explore the stability of this phase of matter for long times.

Authors 4

1. Augustine Kshetrimayum

   Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie · Freie Universität Berlin

   Affiliation as printed

   Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany

   Helmholtz Center Berlin, 14109 Berlin, Germany

2. M. Goihl

   Freie Universität Berlin

   Affiliation as printed

   Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany

3. Dante Marvin Kennes Aachen Institut für Theorie der Statistischen Physik

   Center for Free-Electron Laser Science · Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Theorie der Statistischen Physik, RWTH Aachen, 52056 Aachen, Germany and JARA Fundamentals of Future Information Technology, D-52056 Aachen, Germany

   Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter and Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany

4. Jens Eisert

   Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie · Freie Universität Berlin

   Affiliation as printed

   Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany

   Helmholtz Center Berlin, 14109 Berlin, Germany