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Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll learn when you read this story:<\/p>\n
First theorized in 2012, time crystals are similar to normal crystals, but instead of their lattice of atoms repeating in a physical 3D space, they follow certain patterns over time.<\/p>\n
A scientist duo at the University of Colorado Boulder (UC Boulder) discovered the world\u2019s first time crystal that, under certain conditions, you can actually see with the naked eye.<\/p>\n
Although researchers are still trying to understand all the different properties of time crystals, these mind-bending breakthroughs could one day play a role in advanced data storage and anti-counterfeiting techniques.<\/p>\n
A \u201ctime crystal\u201d might feel like a plot point in a fantasy novel, but this phase of matter is very real. You might think of normal crystals<\/a> as \u201cspace crystals,\u201d meaning their structural lattice repeats in 3D space. However, time crystals (as the name suggests) is similarly well-organized but across time, moving and transforming in a repeating cycle.<\/p>\n Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek first proposed the idea of time crystals back in 2012, and since then, scientists and quantum computers<\/a> alike have constructed various types of time crystals in order to understand their mind-bending properties. Now, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder (UC Boulder) have achieved a new milestone: They\u2019ve created a time crystal you can actually see with the naked eye<\/a>\u2026 at least, under certain circumstances.<\/p>\n In a new study published in the journal Nature Materials<\/a>, co-authors Hanqing Zhao and Ivan Smalyukh filled glass cells with liquid crystals (a similar material to what\u2019s found in a television\u2019s LCD panels), which consisted of rod-shaped molecules<\/a> that behave like a solid and also a little bit like a liquid. These liquid crystals are sandwiched between two plates of glass coated with a photoresponsive dye, and light polarizes the dye, exerting pressure on the crystal and creating a complex series of interactions that repeat over time.<\/p>\n According to a press statement from UC Boulder<\/a>, the effect is a bit like a big ballroom dance in a Jane Austen<\/a> novel, with partners splitting off and dancing around the room before eventually rejoining. But in this case, the Pride & Prejudice dance display usually plays out on the microscopic level.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is born out of nothing. All you do is shine a light<\/a>, and this whole world of time crystals emerges,\u201d Smalyukh said in a press statement. \u201cThat\u2019s the beauty of this time crystal. You just create some conditions that aren\u2019t that special. You shine a light, and the whole thing happens.\u201d<\/p>\n The resulting effect was a repeating wave\u2014stripes repeating one after the other\u2014that lasted for hours even when subjected to different temperature<\/a> and light conditions.<\/p>\n All of this comes with a big \u201cso what?\u201d question attached. It\u2019s great that we\u2019ve discovered a phase of matter that spontaneously breaks time-translation symmetry, but what exactly does that mean for future breakthroughs<\/a>? Well, UC Boulder notes that future technologies could create more elaborate patterns by stacking time crystals, creating a novel method of storing data. More practically, time crystals could be used as an anti-counterfeiting technology. Imagine a $100 bill with a \u201ctime watermark,\u201d where light reveals the tell-tale temporal patterns of time crystals\u2014no microscope required.<\/p>\n