New Time Crystal’s Lifespan Extends by 10 million Times
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Time crystals, an enigmatic form of matter boasting seemingly impossible attributes, have been successfully synthesized. German researchers have achieved a significant advancement, producing one that endures 10 million times longer than those in previous experiments.
To infuse an ordinary item with a science fiction aura, we could refer to commonplace crystals as “space crystals.” These objects, whether found in jewelry or in a salt shaker, owe their form to atoms arranging themselves in a spatially repeating pattern.
To infuse an ordinary item with a science fiction aura, we could refer to commonplace crystals as “space crystals.” These objects, whether found in jewelry or in a salt shaker, owe their form to atoms arranging themselves in a spatially repeating pattern.
Temporal Crystals
However, considering that space and time are often conceptualized as interconnected components of the same “ ,” the question arises: could there exist crystals with patterns repeating in time? This idea was proposed by Frank Wilczek, a Nobel Prize laureate and physicist at MIT, in 2012.
Understanding how such a concept could function presents challenges, but a common analogy is to envision a bowl of Jell-O and contemplate its response to being tapped with a spoon. Ordinarily, one would anticipate the Jell-O to wobble for a brief duration before settling. However, if this Jell-O were akin to a time crystal, it might exhibit a delayed wobble, cease momentarily, then wobble again, repeating this cycle indefinitely without requiring further stimulation from additional taps.
Unraveling the Mystery of Time Crystals
While the notion of time crystals may initially evoke comparisons to perpetual motion machines, they do not violate any laws of thermodynamics, and the overall entropy within the system remains constant. For some years, scientists debated the feasibility of their existence until a breakthrough occurred in 2017 when a research team successfully synthesized time crystals in laboratory conditions. Subsequent investigations uncovered these structures in children’s crystal-growing kits, quantum computer processors, and even observed their interactions with each other.
However, these instances only showcased certain aspects of time crystal behavior, rather than fully capturing their essence. Analogous to tapping the Jell-O once per second and witnessing it wobble every two seconds, they exhibited some out-of-sync behavior. A genuine time crystal would spontaneously initiate its oscillations and continue them indefinitely in a periodic manner. Such a phenomenon was first demonstrated in 2022, albeit lasting only a few milliseconds.
Dortmund University
Pioneering Time Crystal Development
Researchers at Dortmund University in Germany have developed a time crystal with a significantly prolonged lifespan, lasting 10 million times longer than previous iterations. Constructed from indium gallium arsenide, the crystal undergoes continuous illumination until its nuclear spin polarizes. Over time, the nucleus spontaneously initiates oscillations in a predictable pattern, resembling the behavior of a time crystal. In their experiments, the scientists observed this phenomenon persisting for 40 minutes, with potential for even longer durations.
The team notes that altering experimental conditions can modify the crystal’s cycle timeframe and induce it to “melt,” losing its pattern and exhibiting chaotic behavior. This capability could usher in a new frontier of exploration in the field.
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