From black holes to the most accurate clocks. Time crystals are the foundation of the Revolution, and something important has been done with them recently

The existence of time crystals was known relatively recently, because this idea was first hypothesized in 2012 by Frank Wilczek. Hypotheses indicated that it was a state of matter in which the particles are in constant oscillatory motion. Since then, research has accelerated and scientists have been able to introduce time crystals into trapped ions, atoms, and spin systems.

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This time, representatives of the University of Southampton, who are also the authors of the publication published in nature physics. Thanks to their efforts, we know that the nanostructure of metamaterials can be brought into a state with key features of a continuous time crystal. Key to achieving this goal was the use of a two-dimensional array of plasmonic metamolecules on flexible nanowires.

It cannot be denied that this is a very complex process, although the traces of the work done should bring a number of real benefits. There is talk of progress in research on time crystals, which in the future could lead, among other things, to the creation of clocks more accurate than the present time, or to a better understanding of structures such as black holes.

Time crystals are structures that are repeatable in time and space. Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek spoke about their existence in 2012

As the article’s authors explain, the continuous use of light that resonates with the respective metamolecules resulted in a phase transition occurring in the course of the experiments. Thus, a situation occurred that had the main characteristics of a continuous time crystal. One of its characteristics is the presence of steady oscillations caused by interactions between metamolecules.

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The achievements of researchers from Great Britain should create a kind of foundation for other teams dealing with time crystals. There is talk of the accelerated design of new optical and photonic devices. In turn, Nikolai Zeludov, one of the lead authors of the aforementioned studies, stresses that the observations so far are only the beginning. In follow-up efforts, he and his colleagues intend to study the properties of continuous time crystals and their potential applications.