Observation of time crystal in a spin maser system
Abstract Pair interaction potentials between atoms in a crystal are in general non-monotonic in distance, with a local minimum whose position gives the lattice constant of the crystal. A temporal analogue of this idea of crystal formation is still pending despite intensive studies on the time crysta...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Communications Physics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-025-02117-x |
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| author | Weiyu Wang Mingjun Feng Qianjin Ma Zi Cai Erwei Li Guobin Liu |
| author_facet | Weiyu Wang Mingjun Feng Qianjin Ma Zi Cai Erwei Li Guobin Liu |
| author_sort | Weiyu Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Pair interaction potentials between atoms in a crystal are in general non-monotonic in distance, with a local minimum whose position gives the lattice constant of the crystal. A temporal analogue of this idea of crystal formation is still pending despite intensive studies on the time crystal phase. In a hybrid spin maser system with a time delay feedback, we report the observation of a time crystal induced by a retarded interaction with a characteristic time scale. This nonequilibrium phase features a self-sustained oscillation with an emergent frequency other than the intrinsic Larmor precession frequency of the spin maser system. It is shown that the amplitude of the oscillation is robust against perturbation, while its time phase randomly distributes from 0 to 2π for different realizations, a signature of spontaneous time translation symmetry breaking. This time crystal phase emerges only when the feedback strength exceeds a critical value, at which the system experiences a first order phase transition. Such a retarded interaction induced time crystal is closer to the idea of crystal, compared to other time crystal realizations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-75534d7d8b8f4dfb8cc1bd5974f23a62 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2399-3650 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Physics |
| spelling | doaj-art-75534d7d8b8f4dfb8cc1bd5974f23a622025-08-20T01:49:44ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Physics2399-36502025-05-01811610.1038/s42005-025-02117-xObservation of time crystal in a spin maser systemWeiyu Wang0Mingjun Feng1Qianjin Ma2Zi Cai3Erwei Li4Guobin Liu5National Time Service Center, Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Time Service Center, Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Time Service Center, Chinese Academy of SciencesWilczek Quantum Center and Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityNational Time Service Center, Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Time Service Center, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Pair interaction potentials between atoms in a crystal are in general non-monotonic in distance, with a local minimum whose position gives the lattice constant of the crystal. A temporal analogue of this idea of crystal formation is still pending despite intensive studies on the time crystal phase. In a hybrid spin maser system with a time delay feedback, we report the observation of a time crystal induced by a retarded interaction with a characteristic time scale. This nonequilibrium phase features a self-sustained oscillation with an emergent frequency other than the intrinsic Larmor precession frequency of the spin maser system. It is shown that the amplitude of the oscillation is robust against perturbation, while its time phase randomly distributes from 0 to 2π for different realizations, a signature of spontaneous time translation symmetry breaking. This time crystal phase emerges only when the feedback strength exceeds a critical value, at which the system experiences a first order phase transition. Such a retarded interaction induced time crystal is closer to the idea of crystal, compared to other time crystal realizations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-025-02117-x |
| spellingShingle | Weiyu Wang Mingjun Feng Qianjin Ma Zi Cai Erwei Li Guobin Liu Observation of time crystal in a spin maser system Communications Physics |
| title | Observation of time crystal in a spin maser system |
| title_full | Observation of time crystal in a spin maser system |
| title_fullStr | Observation of time crystal in a spin maser system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Observation of time crystal in a spin maser system |
| title_short | Observation of time crystal in a spin maser system |
| title_sort | observation of time crystal in a spin maser system |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-025-02117-x |
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