Abstract
Time crystals are proposed states of matter which spontaneously break time translation symmetry. There is no settled definition of such states. We offer a new definition which follows the traditional recipe for Wigner symmetries and order parameters. Supplementing our definition with a few plausible assumptions we find that a) systems with time-independent Hamiltonians should not exhibit time translation symmetry breaking while b) the recently studied π spin glass/Floquet time crystal can be viewed as breaking a global internal symmetry and as breaking time translation symmetry, as befits its two names.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 115127 |
Journal | Physical Review B |
Volume | 96 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 18 Sept 2017 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics