A Qutrit Time Crystal Stabilized with Native Chiral Interactions

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2605.14293v1
• Date: Thu, 14 May 2026 02:51:54 GMT
• Title: A Qutrit Time Crystal Stabilized with Native Chiral Interactions
• Abstract summary: Periodically driven quantum many-body systems can spontaneously break discrete time-translation symmetry.<n>We show the realization of a tunable $mathbbZ_3$ discrete time crystal by implementing a Floquet chiral clock model in a chain of 15 superconducting qutrits.<n>Our results establish native qudit hardware as a powerful platform to access a broader landscape of non-equilibrium phases.
• Score: 0.607400630297406
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Periodically driven quantum many-body systems can spontaneously break discrete time-translation symmetry, realizing discrete time crystals. To date, both experimental and theoretical efforts have largely focused on the simplest case of spontaneous period-doubling in $\mathbb{Z}_2$ discrete time crystals realized with qubits. This owes, in part, to the challenge of stabilizing eigenstate order in higher discrete symmetry ($\mathbb{Z}_n$) time crystals, due to the presence of richer domain wall physics. Here, we demonstrate the realization of a $\mathbb{Z}_3$ discrete time crystal by implementing a Floquet chiral clock model in a chain of 15 superconducting qutrits. Unlike the conventional Ising setting, our system features a tunable chiral angle that governs domain-wall dynamics, spectral degeneracies, and crucially, the stability of time-crystalline order. Using disordered nearest-neighbor chiral interactions, we observe robust subharmonic period tripling that persists across a wide range of drive strengths and is independent of initial state. Finally, we highlight the special role that chirality plays in our $\mathbb{Z}_3$ discrete time crystal -- in its absence, the system's Floquet dynamics exhibit a marked initial state dependence governed by domain wall degeneracies. Our results establish native qudit hardware as a powerful platform to access a broader landscape of non-equilibrium phases.

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