A completely new form of matter in perpetual motion.

American scientists have proven the existence of time crystals, in which atoms are arranged in a structure similar to that of diamond or ice.

Time crystals have atoms that vibrate in resonance in an eternal loop without losing energy. Photo: Jamie Seidel.

Researchers at the University of Maryland and Harvard University in the US confirmed the existence of time crystals in a paper published in the journal Nature on March 8, according to Seeker. This is a strange state of matter that was first proposed in 2012 by Frank Wilczek, the 2004 Nobel laureate in physics.

Many physicists previously argued that the existence of time crystals was impossible, at least in the theory that Wilczek initially proposed. For ordinary crystals like gemstones, snowflakes, or salt, the constituent atoms and molecules arrange themselves in a periodic lattice structure, exhibiting a high degree of order. But in time crystals, the atoms arrange themselves in a repeating pattern over time rather than physical space.

Time crystals are created by using lasers, magnets, mirrors, and optical devices to manipulate atoms, causing them to vibrate together. "It's like the drumhead vibrating when someone taps it," said Christopher Monroe, a member of the research team at the University of Maryland.

"We separate the individual atoms, trap them electromagnetically, then move them to a vacuum chamber and irradiate them with a laser," Monroe said.

The discovery of time crystals is of great significance for future quantum computers, enabling them to operate at a higher level of complexity and stability by exploiting the laws of quantum dynamics. Furthermore, this technology is also being used to create many new types of highly accurate quantum clocks.

According to VNE