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Weird ‘time crystals’ are made visible at last

Time crystals, a state of matter once thought physically impossible, could soon be on a banknote.
By
  1. Elizabeth Gibney
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A time crystal is a form of matter that shows continuous, repeating patterns over time, much like how atoms in a normal crystal repeat in space. Examples once existed in only complex, quantum matter, but now physicists have found a way to make a time crystal that can be seen, under certain conditions, with the naked eye.

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Nature 645, 831-832 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02939-3

References

  1. Zhao, H. & Smalyukh, I. I. Nature Mater. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02344-1 (2025).

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  2. Watanabe, H. & Oshikawa, M. Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 251603 (2015).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

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