Physicists in the School of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) have invented a new type of time crystal, described as the first-ever “time quasicrystal,” that defies common perceptions of time and motion.
The research team, including physicists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, says their first-of-its-kind quasicrystal represents an “entirely new state of matter.”
The team’s novel design could find uses in quantum computing, indefinite data storage, military-grade quantum sensors, revolutionary optics, and advanced timekeeping.
Time Quasicrystal that Defies Perceptions of Time and Motion Latest Breakthrough
The WashU team’s work builds on over a decade of previous research, beginning with physicist and Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek’s first theoretical proposal of a time crystal in 2012. Instead of a typical crystal, where its atoms are arranged in space, Wilczek showed how time crystals have atoms arranged in both space and time.
“Much like the atoms in a normal crystal repeat patterns in space, the particles in a time crystal repeat patterns over time,” explained Chong Zu, a WashU assistant professor of physics and co-author of the study describing the discovery.
Time crystals also vibrate or “tick” at constant frequencies, meaning they are crystalized in four dimensions: the three physical dimensions and the dimension of time. Although this continuous motion initially seemed to contradict the laws of physics, follow-up studies, including the twin discoveries of the first real-world time crystal in 2017, have shown the phenomenon to be real.
For example, in 2022, Lancaster University scientists successfully showed that theoretical time crystals obeyed quantum physics, indicating they were not as “impossible” as previously believed. A 2023 effort found telltale signs of time crystals in an unlikely location, followed by yet another study that same year outlining the profound applications time crystals could have on “disruptive tech.”
Last year, scientists from Dortmund University in Germany announced the successful creation of a durable time crystal, offering hope the design could enable practical applications ranging from time crystal-based circuits on quantum computers to ultra-precise light control and amplification. The WashU team’s creation of the world’s first-ever time quasicrystal expands on those tantalizing results, further increasing hopes for a practical time crystal.
Nitrogen Beams and Microwave Pulses
After the team selected a millimeter-sized piece of diamond to serve as the construction medium for their new time quasicrystal, they bombarded it with nitrogen beams. The selected nitrogen beams were powerful enough to dislodge carbon atoms within the diamond, resulting in atom-size blank spaces. As hoped, electrons moved into these empty spaces. When millions of these vacancies are filled this way, the result is a time quasicrystal.
“We used microwave pulses to start the rhythms in the time quasicrystals,” explained MIT’s Bingtian Ye, a co-author of the study. “The microwaves help create order in time.”
time quasicrystal
WashU physicists shine a microwave laser into a chunk of diamond to create a time quasicrystal, a new phase of matter that repeats precise patterns in time and space. Chong Zu laboratory, Washington University in St. Louis.
According to the published study, the time quasicrystals created by the physicists are roughly one micrometer across. This minuscule size means they are too small to be imaged directly without a microscope. Still, their quantum rest state was in motion, something never seen before in previously produced time crystals. This change means the team’s time quasicrystal was something completely unprecedented.
“It’s an entirely new phase of matter,” Zu said.
“We believe we are the first group to create a true time quasicrystal,” added team member and WashU graduate student Guanghui He.
Tantalizing Array of Potential Applications
In the study’s conclusion, the Wash U team notes that their first-ever time quasicrystal is far from ready for real-world application. Still, they witnessed hundreds of cycles in their time quasicrystals before they broke down. According to Zu, this level of durability “is impressive.”
Aurora
The team highlighted novel uses like timekeeping using the crystal’s internal ticking when discussing potential applications. Timekeeping is an ongoing challenge for scientists since even the most precise methods tend to “drift” over time and require recalibration. Since the team’s time quasicrystal maintains a constant ticking with minimal energy loss, it could solve this problem. Still, the researchers note that they would have to learn to control the ticking since they can only start the process.
The team also proposed using their new phase of matter to create an ultra-sensitive quantum sensor since it is sensitive to magnetism and other quantum forces. In theory, such a time quasicrystal-based sensor could measure multiple frequencies at once, something considered impossible in today’s sensors.
Finally, the researchers see their time quasicrystal as a potentially critical piece to the burgeoning field of quantum computing.
“They could store quantum memory over long periods of time, essentially like a quantum analog of RAM,” Zu said.
Although their research is still “a long way from that sort of technology,” Zu says that creating the world’s first-ever time quasicrystal “is a crucial first step.”
The study “Experimental Realization of Discrete Time Quasicrystals” was published in Physical Review X.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him onX,learn about his books atplainfiction.com, or email him directly atchristopher@thedebrief.org.