Programmable time crystals from higher-order packing fields

Time crystals are many-body systems that spontaneously break time-translation symmetry, and thus exhibit long-range spatiotemporal order and robust periodic motion. Recent results have shown that coupling an external packing field to density fluctuations in driven diffusive fluids can trigger a transition to a time-crystal phase. Here, we exploit this mechanism to engineer and control on-demand programmable continuous time crystals characterized by an arbitrary number of rotating condensates, which can be further enhanced with higher-order modes. We elucidate the underlying critical point, as well as general properties of the condensates' density profiles and velocities, demonstrating a scaling property of higher-order traveling condensates in terms of first-order ones. We illustrate our findings by solving the hydrodynamic equations for various paradigmatic driven diffusive systems, obtaining along the way a number of remarkable results, e.g., the possibility of explosive time crystal phases characterized by an abrupt, first-order-type transition. Overall, these results demonstrate the versatility and broad possibilities of this promising route to time crystals.