Photoionization-Induced Floquet Driving of a Discrete Time Crystal in a Thermal Rydberg Ensemble

Area of Science:

• Quantum physics
• Condensed matter physics
• Atomic physics

Background:

• Nonequilibrium systems with strong interactions and dissipation display complex dynamics.
• Discrete time crystalline (DTC) phases represent exotic periodic dynamics.
• Floquet driving, using external periodic fields, can further enrich DTC phases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate photoionization-induced Floquet driving of a DTC phase in a thermal Rydberg gas.
• To experimentally demonstrate the reliance of the DTC phase on bistability.
• To fill an experimental gap in understanding multistability and dissipative DTCs.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a thermal Rydberg gas subjected to photoionization via an additional laser.
• Inducing photoelectrons that generate plasma and electric fields, creating a Floquet driving effect.
• Conducting experimental demonstrations and mean-field simulations of the Floquet-driven system.

Main Results:

• Photoionization by induced photoelectrons results in Floquet driving of the DTC phase.
• The emergence of bistability was experimentally confirmed as crucial for the DTC phase.
• Mean-field simulations successfully reproduced the experimental observations.

Conclusions:

• This work establishes a highly controlled experimental platform for studying exotic nonequilibrium physics.
• The findings highlight the critical role of bistability in dissipative discrete time crystals.
• The study advances the understanding of Floquet-driven DTC phases in interacting systems.