Time crystal
quantum system whose ground state is one in which the particles are in repetitive motion From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A time crystal is a kind of quantum system. It changes in a repeating way over time, even when it is in its lowest-energy state (the ground state). It does this without taking in energy from outside.
An ordinary crystal has atoms in a pattern that repeats in space. A time crystal has a pattern that repeats in time.[1][2]
History
- 2012: Nobel Prize winner Frank Wilczek first suggested the idea.
- 2017: Chris Monroe and his team found signs of time-crystal behaviour in chains of ytterbium ions.
- 2021: Scientists made the first video of a time crystal.[3]
- 2024: Scientists at the Technical University of Dortmund said they built a time crystal that lasted for forty minutes.[4]
Possible uses
Time crystals may one day be used as quantum memory.[5]
In fiction
Writers of science fiction sometimes use the name "time crystal" for imaginary objects. These are not the same as real time crystals.
See also
References
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