Researchers at TU Wien have demonstrated that quantum correlations can stabilize time crystals, structures that oscillate in time without external drivers. Contrary to prior beliefs, these quantum fluctuations enhance rather than disrupt the rhythmic patterns. The discovery, achieved using a laser-trapped particle lattice, offers fresh insights into quantum many-body systems.
Time crystals represent a fascinating quantum phenomenon where systems spontaneously develop repeating temporal patterns without any external timer, akin to how spatial crystals form ordered structures from disordered liquids.
For over a decade, quantum physicists have explored whether such time-based symmetry breaking is possible. Previously, time crystals were thought feasible only in specific systems like quantum gases, where random quantum fluctuations could be ignored in favor of mean values. However, Felix Russo from the Institute of Theoretical Physics at TU Wien, working in Prof. Thomas Pohl's team, has shown otherwise.
"This question has been the subject of intensive research in quantum physics for over ten years," says Russo. His team's calculations reveal that quantum correlations between particles—once believed to prevent time crystal formation—actually enable it. "We have now shown that it is precisely the quantum physical correlations between the particles, which were previously thought to prevent the formation of time crystals, that can lead to the emergence of time-crystalline phases."
The researchers investigated a two-dimensional lattice of particles confined by laser beams. Due to quantum interactions, the lattice state begins to oscillate, exhibiting self-organizing rhythmic behavior arising purely from particle interactions. This collective behavior mirrors phenomena like smoke rings forming regular patterns without external influence.
Published in Physical Review Letters (2025, volume 135, issue 11), the study by Russo and Pohl advances understanding of quantum many-body systems. It paves the way for innovations in quantum technologies and high-precision quantum measurements.