Time Crystal Created in Lab Using Styrofoam and Sound
In a remarkable demonstration of accessible science, researchers have created a time crystal — an exotic phase of matter that repeats its structure in time rather than space — using little more than Styrofoam beads and sound waves. Time crystals, first theorized in 2012, have typically required complex quantum systems and extreme conditions to produce, making this low-tech approach a significant breakthrough.
The experiment used acoustic waves to drive Styrofoam particles into a state that spontaneously oscillates with a period different from the driving force, the hallmark signature of a time crystal. The simplicity of the setup opens the door for wider study of this strange phase of matter and could accelerate research into potential applications in quantum computing, precision measurement, and fundamental physics. The work demonstrates that exotic physical phenomena can sometimes be explored with surprisingly ordinary materials.
The experiment used acoustic waves to drive Styrofoam particles into a state that spontaneously oscillates with a period different from the driving force, the hallmark signature of a time crystal. The simplicity of the setup opens the door for wider study of this strange phase of matter and could accelerate research into potential applications in quantum computing, precision measurement, and fundamental physics. The work demonstrates that exotic physical phenomena can sometimes be explored with surprisingly ordinary materials.