Time crystal platform: from quasi-crystal structures in time to systems with exotic interactions

TL;DR

This paper explores how time crystals can be realized through periodic driving in quantum systems, enabling the simulation of quasi-crystal structures and exotic interactions in the time domain.

Contribution

It demonstrates the feasibility of simulating condensed matter phenomena like quasi-crystals and long-range interactions using time-periodic driving in quantum systems.

Findings

Realization of quasi-crystal structures in time.

Simulation of systems with exotic long-range interactions.

Formation of molecules via destructive interference with modulated scattering length.

Abstract

Time crystals are quantum many-body systems which, due to interactions between particles, are able to spontaneously self-organize their motion in a periodic way in time by analogy with the formation of crystalline structures in space in condensed matter physics. In solid state physics properties of space crystals are often investigated with the help of external potentials that are spatially periodic and reflect various crystalline structures. A similar approach can be applied for time crystals, as periodically driven systems constitute counterparts of spatially periodic systems, but in the time domain. Here we show that condensed matter problems ranging from single particles in potentials of quasi-crystal structure to many-body systems with exotic long-range interactions can be realized in the time domain with an appropriate periodic driving. Moreover, it is possible to create molecules where atoms are bound together due to destructive interference if the atomic scattering length is modulated in time.