{
  "abstract": "Discrete time crystals exhibit robust subharmonic oscillations, spontaneously breaking the discrete time-translation symmetry of a periodic drive. Since their emergence, the question of whether other types of temporal many-body order can exist has attracted considerable attention. Here we identify discrete time liquids -- a new form of spatiotemporal order characterized by short-range temporal coherence as a result of time-solitons. We study a two-dimensional spin system coupled to a finite-temperature cavity, whose fluctuations provide a noisy, approximately periodic drive with only finite temporal coherence. Remarkably, the spins nevertheless form a metastable state with robust period-doubled dynamics over an extended parameter regime. Unlike a time crystal, this state has only finite temporal coherence: individual trajectories stochastically switch between the two symmetry-related temporal configurations of the period-doubled response. We identify these switches as time-solitons: topological defects in temporal order that preserve local period doubling while destroying long-range temporal coherence, thereby producing the time liquid state. We propose a minimal model which reproduces the distribution of temporal correlations of the many-body system, suggesting a general description of the time liquid as a time crystal with a finite density of time-solitons. Because these solitons can occur at arbitrary times, ensemble averaging restores continuous time-translation symmetry, raising the intriguing possibility that discrete time liquids can exist in thermal equilibrium.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.30266",
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Zuo Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Paul M. Schindler"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marin Bukov"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marios H. Michael"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3q9zxjnh81fck.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.30266",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "3q9zxjnh81fck",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.30266",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.quant-gas"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.stat-mech"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.str-el"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "quant-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3107|Quantum many-body systems"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223408809",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.30266",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3q9zxjnh81fck.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:34:34Z",
      "native_id": "2610.30266",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.30266"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.quant-gas",
      "subfield": "amo"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.quant-gas",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:quant-ph",
      "subfield": "quantum"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.stat-mech",
      "subfield": "statistical-nonlinear"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Discrete time liquids",
  "title_text": "Discrete time liquids",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:34:34Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3q9zxjnh81fck",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}