In a Finnish laboratory, scientists have achieved something remarkable. At temperatures near absolute zero, they connected a time crystal to an external mechanical device. This is the first time this exotic form of matter has been linked to a system that humans can actually use.
A time crystal is different from ordinary crystals like salt or quartz. While normal crystals repeat their pattern in space, a time crystal repeats its pattern in time. It oscillates on its own without needing continuous energy from outside, which sounds impossible but is allowed in the quantum world.
The team at Aalto University in Finland, led by Jere Mäkinen, created their time crystal in a bath of super-cold Helium-3. They used radio waves to add special particles called magnons to the liquid, then switched the waves off. The magnons organized themselves and kept oscillating for several minutes without stopping.
Next, the researchers placed a mechanical oscillator near the time crystal. The two began to interact with each other. By changing the oscillator's settings, they could control the time crystal's properties.
This discovery could have practical uses in quantum computing. Current quantum computers lose their information in seconds, but time crystals stay stable for much longer. Scientists believe this could lead to better quantum memory and more precise sensors in the future.