Time Glass: A Fractional Calculus Approach

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel fractional calculus-based theoretical framework to describe Time Glasses, a new phase in condensed matter physics, connecting phenomenological and microscopic models.

Contribution

It provides the first fractional calculus approach to model Time Glasses, including an exactly solvable theory and a connection to microscopic particle-bath models.

Findings

Introduces a fractional Langevin equation for Time Glasses.

Establishes a continuous parameter for phase transition.

Connects phenomenological and microscopic descriptions.

Abstract

Out of equilibrium states in glasses and crystals have been a major topic of research in condensed-matter physics for many years, and the idea of time crystals has triggered a flurry of new research. Here, we provide the first description for the recently conjectured Time Glasses using fractional calculus methods. An exactly solvable effective theory is introduced, with a continuous parameter describing the transition from liquid through normal glass, Time Glass, into the Gardner phase. The phenomenological description with a fractional Langevin equation is connected to a microscopic model of a particle in a sub-Ohmic bath in the framework of a generalized Caldeira-Leggett model.