Tunable discrete quasi-time crystal from a single drive

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, tunable discrete quasi-time crystal in a single-drive dissipative spin system, enabling easier experimental realization and control of complex temporal quantum phases.

Contribution

It demonstrates the emergence of a tunable DQTC with a single periodic drive, simplifying previous complex protocols and unifying various temporal phases.

Findings

Frequency of DQTC can be continuously tuned by drive strength.

Presence of Arnold tongues with frequency locking to rational fractions.

Model unifies stationary, discrete time crystals, and chaotic phases.

Abstract

The search for exotic temporal orders in quantum matter, such as discrete quasi-time crystals (DQTCs), has become an important theme in nonequilibrium physics. However, realizing these phases has so far required complex protocols, such as drives with multiple incommensurate frequencies. Here, we present a significantly simpler mechanism: the emergence of DQTCs in a dissipative collective spin system subjected to only a single periodic drive. Remarkably, the characteristic frequencies of this novel phase are not fixed but can be continuously tuned by varying the strength of the drive. Even more strikingly, this tunability is punctuated by Arnold tongues, within which the response main frequency locks to rational fractions of the drive. Our model further provides a unified framework that also encompasses stationary, discrete time crystals and chaotic phases. This discovery simplifies the requirements for generating complex temporal orders and opens a viable route towards the experimental control and manipulation of quasi-time crystalline matter.