Quantum time crystals linked to mechanical motion in breakthrough experiment
The experiment, led by Academy Research Fellow Jere Makinen from Aalto's Department of Applied Physics, demonstrates that the properties of a time crystal can be externally tuned. The team transformed the time crystal into an optomechanical system, creating a bridge between two physical regimes that until now had remained isolated.
"Perpetual motion is possible in the quantum realm so long as it is not disturbed by external energy input, such as by observing it. That is why a time crystal had never before been connected to any external system," Makinen explained. "But we did just that and showed, also for the first time, that you can adjust the crystal's properties using this method."
In their setup, the physicists used radio waves to inject magnons-quasiparticles representing collective spin excitations-into a Helium-3 superfluid cooled to near absolute zero. When the pump was switched off, the magnons self-organized into a time crystal that persisted in motion for an unprecedented duration, sustaining up to 108 oscillations or several minutes before fading below detection.
During this decay phase, the time crystal established a connection to a nearby mechanical oscillator, with the interaction dependent on the oscillator's frequency and amplitude. "We showed that changes in the time crystal's frequency are completely analogous to optomechanical phenomena widely known in physics. These are the same phenomena used, for example, in detecting gravitational waves at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in the U.S.," Makinen noted. "By reducing energy loss and increasing the oscillator's frequency, our setup could be optimized to reach near the border of the quantum realm."
According to the researchers, the stability of time crystals could make them ideal for quantum memory and precision measurement. "Time crystals last for orders of magnitude longer than the quantum systems currently used in quantum computing. The best-case scenario is that time crystals could power the memory systems of quantum computers to significantly improve them. They could also be used as frequency combs for high-sensitivity measurement devices," said Makinen.
Research Report:Continuous time crystal coupled to a mechanical mode as a cavity-optomechanics-like platform
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