Time Crystals made of Light!
Recommended for Middle Grades
Leading experts at the University of California have made a time crystal out of light. Their research could help time crystals be utilised in real-world devices and applications.
Scientific Observations!
In many ways, scientists work like detectives to solve problems by looking for clues in the evidence. For example, it doesn’t matter if a crystal is made of salt or diamonds. To the scientist’s eyes, it’s just a bunch of atoms arranged in a certain way.
If the atoms are spread out using a pattern then the scientist is able to figure out the rest, just by looking at a few of the atoms. Suppose that pattern was spread across time, not space. The pattern’s parts would be linked by “when” instead of “where.” “Time crystals” are based on this fundamental idea, which isn’t very common and sounds super exciting.
Time Crystals and Clocks!
A physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology came up with the idea of “Time Crystals” in 2012. After a lot of hard work, researchers were only able to make one that worked in 2021.
One might be tempted to compare the behaviour of a time crystal with that of a clock. A clock keeps ticking in its natural state but for the clock to tick, it needs some form of power or electricity. However, for a time crystal, the “ticking” is its most natural or stable state.
Time Crystals made of Light at the University of California!
Scientists at the University of California figured out a way to make a time crystal that didn’t have to worry about outside influences. Thus these structures could find their way in practical applications. These time crystals can stay in place at room temperature for a long time, even if there is a lot of noise and energy loss.
To be used in real life, time crystals could one day be used as quantum computer memory.
Be sure to check out this cool Youtube video on “Time Crystals” shared by “The Action Lab”.
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