Higher-order and fractional discrete time crystals in clean long-range interacting systems

Abstract

Discrete time crystals are periodically driven systems characterized by a response with periodicity $nT$, with $T$ the period of the drive and $n>1$. Typically, $n$ is an integer and bounded from above by the dimension of the local (or single particle) Hilbert space, the most prominent example being spin-$1/2$ systems with $n$ restricted to $2$. Here we show that a clean spin-$1/2$ system in the presence of long-range interactions and transverse field can sustain a huge variety of different `higher-order' discrete time crystals with integer and, surprisingly, even fractional $n > 2$. We characterize these (arguably prethermal) non-equilibrium phases of matter thoroughly using a combination of exact diagonalization, semiclassical methods, and spin-wave approximations, which enable us to establish their stability in the presence of competing long- and short-range interactions. Remarkably, these phases emerge in a model with continous driving and time-independent interactions, convenient for experimental implementations with ultracold atoms or trapped ions.