Discrete Time Crystals in Noninteracting Dissipative Systems

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a stable discrete time crystal phase in a noninteracting dissipative system, where environmental dissipation enhances stability, confirmed through Nuclear Magnetic Resonance experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel noninteracting dissipative system exhibiting a robust DTC phase stabilized by environmental dissipation, with experimental validation.

Findings

DTC lifetime is independent of initial conditions and system size.

Environmental dissipation can stabilize DTC phases in noninteracting systems.

Experimental realization using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance confirms the theoretical predictions.

Abstract

Many-body quantum systems, under suitable conditions, exhibit time-translation symmetry breaking and settle in a discrete time crystalline (DTC) phase -- an out-of-equilibrium quantum phase of matter. The defining feature of DTC is a robust subharmonic response. However, the DTC phase is fragile in the presence of environmental dissipation. Here, we propose and exemplify a DTC phase in a noninteracting system that owes its stability to environmental dissipation. The lifetime of this DTC is independent of initial conditions and the size of the system, though it depends on the frequency of the external driver. We experimentally demonstrate this realization of DTC using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy.