Absence of Quantum Time Crystals
In analogy with crystalline solids around us, Wilczek recently proposed the idea of "time crystals" as phases that spontaneously break the continuous time translation into a discrete subgroup. The proposal stimulated further studies and vigorous debates whether it can be realized in a phys...
Saved in:
| Published in | Physical review letters Vol. 114; no. 25; p. 251603 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors | , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
United States
26.06.2015
|
| Online Access | Get more information |
Cover
Loading…
| Summary: | In analogy with crystalline solids around us, Wilczek recently proposed the idea of "time crystals" as phases that spontaneously break the continuous time translation into a discrete subgroup. The proposal stimulated further studies and vigorous debates whether it can be realized in a physical system. However, a precise definition of the time crystal is needed to resolve the issue. Here we first present a definition of time crystals based on the time-dependent correlation functions of the order parameter. We then prove a no-go theorem that rules out the possibility of time crystals defined as such, in the ground state or in the canonical ensemble of a general Hamiltonian, which consists of not-too-long-range interactions. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1079-7114 |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.251603 |