Space-time crystals from particle-like topological solitons.

ABSTRACT: Time crystals are unexpected states of matter that spontaneously break time-translation symmetry either in a discrete or continuous manner. However, spatially mesoscale space-time crystals that break both space and time symmetries have not been reported. Here we report a continuous space-time crystal in a nematic liquid crystal driven by ambient-power, constant-intensity unstructured light. Our numerically constructed four-dimensional configurations exhibit good agreement with these experimental findings. Although meeting the established criteria to identify time-crystalline order, both experiments and computer simulations reveal a space-time crystallization phase formed by particle-like topological solitons. The robustness against temporal perturbations and spatiotemporal dislocations sho

SUBMITTER: Zhao H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12575355 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature