Tag Archives: Crystal

Physicist Develops Floating Time Crystal: A Breakthrough in Quantum Physics

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A groundbreaking team of scientists at New York University has successfully developed a unique version of an exotic phase of matter where particles are acoustically suspended and interact through sound wave exchanges.

Morel et al. observed a revolutionary type of time crystal with particles suspended on a cushion of sound while interacting through sound waves. Image credit: David Song / New York University.

Time crystals—collections of particles that “keep time”—are poised to transform fields like quantum computing and data storage.

The particles present in this innovative time crystal defy Newton’s third law of motion, which posits that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, emphasizing a balance in forces.

Unlike traditional particles, these new particles interact independently, are not strictly bound by equilibrium forces, and exhibit non-reciprocal movement.

Remarkably, these time crystals are visible to the naked eye and are housed in a compact, one-foot-tall device that can easily be held in hand.

“The speaker emits sound waves, allowing us to place small particles at the pressure nodes, effectively suspending them against gravity,” stated Leela Elliott, an undergraduate at New York University.

The time crystal is constructed using Styrofoam beads that are suspended by these sound waves, initially employed as an acoustic levitation device to maintain the beads in the air.

“We discovered that a simple system of two particles suspended within an acoustic standing wave can spontaneously oscillate and generate time crystal effects due to their unbalanced interactions,” explained Mia Morell, a graduate student at NYU.

“When these airborne particles interact, they do so by exchanging scattered sound waves.”

“Specifically, larger particles scatter more sound than smaller ones,” she added.

“Consequently, the influence of large particles on small particles is greater than the reverse.”

“This results in an asymmetry in interactions between small and large particles.”

“Imagine two ferries of different sizes approaching a pier,” she said.

“Each ferry creates waves that displace the other, but the impact varies based on size.”

This discovery broadens the scope of potential applications for these crystals, promising advancements in technology and industry.

“Time crystals exhibit a high degree of autonomy, making independent decisions and persisting on their path,” stated Professor David Greer of New York University.

“They are intriguing not only for their potential applications but also due to their visually exotic and complex structure.”

“In contrast, our system stands out because it’s surprisingly straightforward.”

The team’s key findings were published in the Physical Review Letters.

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Mia C. Morell et al. 2026. Non-reciprocal wave-mediated interactions power the classical time crystal. Physics Review Letters, 136, 057201; doi: 10.1103/zjzk-t81n

Source: www.sci.news

Breakthrough: The Most Complex Time Crystal Created Inside a Quantum Computer

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IBM Quantum System 2

IBM Quantum System Two: The Machine Behind the New Time Crystal Discovery

Credit: IBM Research

Recent advancements in quantum computing have led to the creation of a highly complex time crystal, marking a significant breakthrough in the field. This innovative discovery demonstrates that quantum computers excel in facilitating scientific exploration and novel discoveries.

Unlike conventional crystals, which feature atoms arranged in repeating spatial patterns, time crystals possess configurations that repeat over time. These unique structures maintain their cyclic behavior indefinitely, barring any environmental influences.

Initially perceived as a challenge to established physics, time crystals have been successfully synthesized in laboratory settings over the past decade. Recently, Nicholas Lorente and his team from the Donostia International Physics Center in Spain utilized an IBM superconducting quantum computer to fabricate a time crystal exhibiting unprecedented complexity.

While previous work predominantly focused on one-dimensional time crystals, this research aimed to develop a two-dimensional variant. The team employed 144 superconducting qubits configured in an interlocking, honeycomb-like arrangement, enabling precise control over qubit interactions.

By manipulating these interactions over time, the researchers not only created complex time crystals but also programmed the interactions to exhibit advanced intensity patterns, surpassing the complexity of prior quantum computing experiments.

This new level of complexity allowed the researchers to map the entire qubit system, resulting in the creation of its “state diagram,” analogous to a phase diagram for water that indicates whether it exists as a liquid, solid, or gas at varying temperatures and pressures.

According to Jamie Garcia from IBM, which did not participate in the study, this experiment could pave the way for future quantum computers capable of designing new materials based on a holistic understanding of quantum system properties, including extraordinary phenomena like time crystals.

The model emulated in this research represents such complexity that traditional computers can only simulate it with approximations. Since all current quantum computers are vulnerable to errors, researchers will need to alternate between classical estimation methods and precise quantum techniques to enhance their understanding of complex quantum models. Garcia emphasizes that “large-scale quantum simulations, involving more than 100 qubits, will be crucial for future inquiries, given the practical challenges of simulating two-dimensional systems.”

Biao Huang from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences notes that this research signifies an exciting advancement across multiple quantum materials fields, potentially connecting time crystals, which can be simulated with quantum computers, with other states achievable through certain quantum sensors.

Topics:

  • Quantum Computing/
  • Quantum Physics

Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists Achieve Breakthroughs in Crystal Bit Manipulation Accuracy

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A group of physicists from Oxford University has accomplished the lowest error rate (just 0.000015%, or one error in 6.7 million operations) in quantum logic operations.

Ion trap chip rendering. Image credit: Jocchen Wolf and Tom Harty of Oxford University.

“As far as we know, this is the most accurate qubit manipulation ever reported globally,” stated Professor David Lucas from Oxford University.

“This represents a crucial milestone in constructing a practical quantum computer capable of solving real-world problems.”

To conduct meaningful calculations on quantum computers, millions of operations must engage numerous qubits.

Consequently, if the error rate is excessively high, the end result of the computation becomes useless.

Error correction techniques can address mistakes, but they require additional qubits, which come at a cost.

By minimizing errors, new methodologies decrease the number of qubits needed, leading to a reduction in both the cost and size of the quantum computer itself.

“By significantly decreasing the chances of errors, this advancement will greatly lessen the infrastructure necessary for error correction, paving the way for future quantum computers to be smaller, faster, and more efficient,” said Molly Smith, a graduate student at Oxford University.

“Kitz’s precise control is beneficial for other quantum technologies, including timepieces and quantum sensors.”

This groundbreaking accuracy was attained using trapped calcium ions as qubits.

These ions are ideal candidates for storing quantum information due to their longevity and resilience.

Researchers adopted an alternative method, using electron (microwave) signals to manage the quantum states of calcium ions instead of traditional lasers.

This technique is more stable than laser control and offers several advantages for constructing practical quantum computers.

For instance, electronic control is less expensive and more robust than lasers, facilitating easier integration into ion trap chips.

Moreover, the experiment was conducted at room temperature and without magnetic shielding, simplifying the technical necessities of operating quantum computers.

“This record-setting achievement signifies a significant milestone, but it is part of a larger challenge,” the author remarked.

“In quantum computing, both single and two-qubit gates must function together.”

“Currently, the gates of the two-qubit systems still experience a very high error rate, approximately 1 in 2,000 even in the best demonstration to date.

Their paper has been published online in the journal Physical Review Letters.

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MC Smith et al. 2025. Single qubit gate with errors at the 10-7 level. Phys. Rev. Lett, in press; doi: 10.1103/42w2-6ccy

Source: www.sci.news

Strange crystal structure reveals incredibly complex maze

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Can you find your way out of the red center of the maze? Scroll down for the answer

University of Bristol

An algorithm designed to find the most efficient path from atom to atom in a strange kind of crystal turns out to create incredibly complex mazes. In addition to building mazes, the technique could also be useful for speeding up certain industrial chemical reactions.

The crystals in question are called quasicrystals because their atoms are arranged in a repeating fashion like normal crystals, but they exhibit more complex and unpredictable symmetries. Although such crystals have been synthesized in laboratories and were produced during the first nuclear weapon detonation in 1945, only one natural source has been found so far: a meteorite found in Russia in 1985.

“Quasicrystals have all the symmetries that normal crystals don’t have. [normal] The crystals are very interesting.” Felix Flicker Professor at the University of Bristol in the UK. “It’s a very beautiful area of mathematics, but you can appreciate that beauty directly without knowing the details.”

Fricker and his colleagues developed an algorithm to quickly generate paths that contact every atom in a quasicrystal exactly once. Diagrams of these paths form beautiful maze-like structures.

Creating such a pathway is known in computer science as an NP-complete problem, a problem that becomes exponentially more complicated as the number of atoms increases. These problems can quickly become virtually impossible to compute at large scales, but the researchers have found that in some quasicrystals the problem is unexpectedly simple.

“This was quite surprising, since this problem in general is known to be essentially unsolvable and, since these quasicrystals do not have translational symmetry, it did not seem to offer any obvious simplifications,” Fricker says.

The solution to the maze is marked in red

University of Bristol

Developing such a pathway, Fricker says, could be put to practical use in a laboratory technique called scanning tunneling microscopy, in which an extremely sharp tip is maneuvered over a material to sense individual atoms one by one, building up an atomic-level picture. Creating complex images, such as one of the quasicrystal itself, can take up to a month, but Fricker says that time could be cut in half if a more efficient pathway could be found to capture each atom.

Fricker also believes the technique could be used to create crystalline catalysts for industrial chemical processes that are more efficient than current methods, making certain compounds faster or less costly to produce. But Fricker thinks other uses may also become apparent over time. “I hope the most interesting uses will be ones that we haven’t even thought of.”

Physical Review X
DOI: In press

Source: www.newscientist.com