A shimmering crystal owes its color to the precise arrangement of its atoms. Physicist Frank Wilczek, who won the Nobel Prize in 2012, proposed that similar order could emerge in quantum systems, not in space but in time. He called these systems time crystals, describing them as structures that remain in their lowest energy state while repeating motion continuously without any external energy input. Scientists confirmed their existence in experiments in 2016.
Researchers at Aalto University’s Department of Applied Physics have now taken a major step forward by linking a time crystal to an external system for the first time. The study, led by Academy Research Fellow Jere Mäkinen, shows how the team converted a time crystal into an optomechanical system. This approach could help create highly precise sensors and improve memory systems in quantum computers, potentially boosting their performance.
The findings were published in Nature Communications.
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