Interactions Protect Periodically Driven Time Crystals Against Dephasing but Destabilise Multipolar-Driven Order

Abstract:We show that stronger interactions protect periodically driven time-crystal order against dephasing but destabilise order under random multipolar drives, and that coordination matters beyond the total interaction strength. We studied a disordered kicked Ising model of $N=12$ and $16$ spins with imperfect $\pi$ pulses and per-site dephasing by exact diagonalisation, comparing a periodic drive, random multipolar drives of order $n=0,1,2$ and the Thue-Morse sequence, and separated coupling strength from coordination by comparing a grid with a ring at equal total interaction strength $zJ$. For the periodic drive the coherence time scales approximately as $1/\gamma$, and stronger coupling reduces the transverse tilt on which dephasing acts. For multipolar drives of order $n\ge1$, doubling the coupling on a ring shortens the coherence time to $0.54$ ($n=1$), $0.37$ ($n=2$) and $0.44$ (Thue-Morse) at $N=16$, while random signs ($n=0$) are unaffected. A disorder scan supports a toggling-frame picture in which interactions spoil the block cancellation of the pulse error. At equal $zJ$ the grid outlives the ring by $2.15$ ($N=12$) and $2.78$ ($N=16$) for the periodic drive despite an identical transverse tilt, a coordination effect beyond this picture. All ratios hold under three definitions of the coherence time.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)

arXiv:2609.33574 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2609.33574v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.33574 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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