- Editors' Suggestion
- Letter
Fractal nature of high-order time crystal phases
Phys. Rev. B 108, L140102 – Published 9 October, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.108.L140102
Abstract
Discrete Floquet time crystals (DFTCs) are characterized by the spontaneous breaking of the discrete time-translational invariance characteristic of Floquet-driven systems. In analogy with equilibrium critical points, also time-crystalline phases display critical behavior of different order, i.e., oscillations whose period is a multiple of the Floquet driving period. Here, we introduce an experimentally accessible order parameter which is able to unambiguously detect crystalline phases regardless of the value of and, at the same time, is a useful tool for chaos diagnostic. This p aradigm allows us to investigate the phase diagram of the long-range (LR) kicked Ising model to an unprecedented depth, unveiling a rich landscape characterized by self-similar fractal boundaries. Our theoretical picture describes the emergence of DFTCs phase both as a function of the strength and period of the Floquet drive, capturing the emergent symmetry in the Floquet-Bloch waves.