Thermodynamics of coupled time crystals with an application to energy storage
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Open many-body quantum systems can exhibit intriguing nonequilibrium phases of matter, such as time crystals. In these phases, the state of the system spontaneously breaks the time-translation symmetry of the dynamical generator, which typically manifests through persistent oscillations of an order parameter. A paradigmatic model displaying such a symmetry breaking is the boundary time crystal (BTC), which has been extensively analyzed experimentally and theoretically. Despite the broad interest in these nonequilibrium phases, their thermodynamics and their fluctuating behavior remain largely unexplored, in particular for the case of coupled time crystals. In this work, we consider two interacting BTCs and derive a consistent interpretation of their thermodynamic behavior. We fully characterize their average dynamics and the behavior of their quantum fluctuations, which allows us to demonstrate the presence of quantum and classical correlations in both the stationary and the time-crystal phases displayed by the system. We furthermore exploit our theoretical derivation to explore possible applications of time crystals as quantum batteries, demonstrating their ability to efficiently store energy.
Source: Quantum Science and Technology
Institutions: Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems, Universitat de les Illes Balears, University of Tübingen, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Queen's University Belfast, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Universitaire de France, Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, University of Nottingham, Coventry University
Language: English
Topic: Quantum many-body systems
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,895
Awards: G1147893575, G1171162939, Kollektive Quantenphänomene in dissipativen Systemen Wege zur Anwendung von Zeitkristallen in Sensorik und Metrologie, G1771891252, G1862646656, G1919472709, G2134539936, FOR 5522: Quantenthermalisierung, Lokalisierung und eingeschränkte Dynamik mit wechselwirkenden ultrakalten Atomen, G2744928646, G3105035837, G3547170033, G3559029362, Emergente kohärente Phänomene in Vielteilchenquantensystemen – Zeitkristalle und Synchronisation, Nichtgleichgewichtsphasenübergänge in offenen Quantensystemen mit absorbierenden Zuständen, G4937468798, G495187929, FOR 5413: Quantenspinsysteme mit langreichweitigen Wechselwirkungen: Experiment, Theorie und Mathematik, G5045220161, G5063675077, G5166744120, G5271502856, G5636879153, G575169067, QuantERA II ERA-NET Cofund in Quantum Technologies, Brisk Rydberg Ions for Scalable Quantum Processors, G7366365150, Many-body quantum engines, G926817026
OpenAlex ID: W4415638615