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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.01528 |
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Table of Contents:
- Time crystals constitute a novel phase of matter defined by the spontaneous breaking of timetranslation symmetry. Here we present a scheme to realize a continuous-time crystal of the vibrational phonon in the normal mode of two coupled ultra-cold ions. By utilizing two addressable standing-wave lasers and adiabatic elimination method, we generate a controllable nonlinear phonon mode with the well-designed efficient linear gain and nonlinear damping. By controlling these parameters to satisfy the phase transition conditions of Hopf bifurcation and limit cycle phase, it behaves as a stable dissipative dynamics over timescales significantly longer than the oscillation period, indicating the emergence of discrete time-translation symmetry breaking in the phonon mode, i.e., a phonon time crystal. We further numerically simulate this phonon time crystal by using accessible experimental parameters and also demonstrate a robustness to the initial thermal state and thermalization of phonon mode, spin dephasing, and the control errors of Rabi frequencies. These results provide a practical scheme for observing a time crystal in a nonlinear phonon mode and will advance the research of time crystals.