In an inconceivable feat, physicists have connected two-time crystals

A new achievement involving time crystals may help bridge the gap between classical and quantum physics.

 

Physicists have developed a system consisting of two-time crystals connected to one another. Time crystals are peculiar quantum systems caught in an eternal loop, and the customary laws of thermodynamics do not apply to them. The physicists intend to use the technology someday to develop a new form of the quantum computer, and one way they plan to do this is by connecting two-time crystals.

 

Samuli Autti, the study's principal investigator and a professor of physics at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, told Live Science in an email that "it is a rare pleasure to examine a completely fresh phase of matter."

 

From crystalline to crystalline time.

 

We come into contact with normal crystals regularly in our day-to-day lives, from the ice in a drink to the diamonds in jewelry. Despite their aesthetic appeal, Crystals are problematic for physicists because they disrupt the natural symmetry that exists throughout the natural world.

 

The physical laws are consistent no matter where you are in the universe. This indicates that the fundamental equations of gravity, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics apply uniformly across the universe's volume. This is the case since the cosmos is expanding forever. Additionally, they are effective in any direction. Therefore, the outcomes of a laboratory experiment should remain the same even if it is rotated through 90 degrees (all else being equal, of course).

 

However, this stunning symmetry is disrupted when looking at a crystal. Crystals are formed when the molecules within them align themselves in a particular way, resulting in repeated spatial patterns. A crystal is an excellent illustration of what physicists refer to as "spontaneous symmetry breaking," which means that the fundamental principles of physics continue to be symmetric even when the arrangement of the molecules is not.

 

In 2012, a physicist working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology named Frank Wilczek observed that the principles of physics also have a time symmetry. That means if you conduct the same experiment again later, you should get the same result. After drawing an analogy to traditional crystals and placing them in the context of the dimension of time, Wilczek dubbed this spontaneous symmetry breaking through time a "time crystal." A few years later, physicists were eventually successful in constructing one.

 

Quantum secrets

 

According to Autti, "a time crystal continues to move and repeat itself periodically in time even when it is not encouraged by anything outside of itself." Because the time crystal is currently in its state with the least amount of energy, this is now achievable. Because the motion cannot become entirely still due to the fundamental constraints of quantum mechanics, the time crystal continues to be "stuck" in its never-ending cycle.

 

Autti observed that, given this information, the devices in question must be perpetual motion machines, which are not feasible.

 

A coffee cup left outside will always cool, a pendulum will ultimately stop swinging, and a ball rolling on the ground will eventually stop. This is because the laws of thermodynamics dictate that systems in equilibrium gravitate toward higher entropy, which is another way of saying disorder. The laws of thermodynamics do not appear to apply to a time crystal, which means that it either contradicts or ignores the statement above. Instead, time crystals are bound by the laws of quantum physics, which are the guidelines that direct the behavior of the subatomic particles that make up the zoo.

 

"In quantum physics, a perpetual motion machine is fine as long as we keep our eyes closed, and it must only start slowing down if we observe the motion," Autti said, referring to the fact that the exotic quantum mechanical states required for time crystals cannot keep operating once they interact with their environment. "A perpetual motion machine is fine in quantum physics as long as we keep our eyes closed," Autti said, "and it must only start slowing down if we observe the motion" (for example, if we observe it).

 

Because of this, physicists cannot make direct observations of time crystals. As soon as they attempt to see one, the quantum principles that govern their existence begin to break down, and the time crystal comes to a grinding halt. And this idea is not limited to the realm of observation; if the time crystal is subjected to an interaction with its surroundings that is powerful enough to disrupt the quantum state of the time crystal, then it will cease to function as a time crystal.

 

The group led by Autti began looking at the possibility of interacting with a quantum time crystal through classical observations at this point. Quantum physics is the dominant field of study at the smallest scale. However, the deterministic rules of classical mechanics do a superior job of describing things like bugs, kittens, planets, and black holes.

 

"There is still a gap in our understanding between quantum physics and classical physics, which can be thought of as a continuum. One of the most perplexing questions in contemporary physics is transforming one thing into another. A portion of the boundary between the two worlds is made up of time crystals. "If we look closely enough at time crystals, we might be able to figure out how to get rid of the interface," explained Autti.

 

Magical canons

 

In the recently published research, Autti and his colleagues constructed a time crystal using "magnons." Magnons are a type of "quasiparticle" that can only be produced when a large number of atoms are brought together. In this particular experiment, the physicists took helium-3, an atom of helium with two protons but only one neutron. It cooled it to a temperature barely ten-thousandth of a degree above absolute zero. At that temperature, the helium-3 underwent a transformation that caused it to become a Bose-Einstein condensate. In this condition, all atoms have the same quantum state and can coordinate their actions.

 

In that condensate, all of the electron spins in the helium-3 hooked up and collaborated to produce waves of magnetic energy called magnons. The condensate produced these magnons. These waves sloshed back and forth all the time, turning them into a time crystal in the process.

 

The group led by Autti brought two sets of magnons, each functioning as its time crystal, into close enough proximity to affect the other. The combined system of magnons worked as if it were a single-time crystal that could switch between two states.

 

The group led by Autti has high hopes that their tests will shed light on the connection between quantum physics and classical physics. Their objective is to construct time crystals capable of interacting with their surroundings without causing the quantum states to break down. This would make it possible for the time crystal to continue functioning normally even while being put to another application. The motion associated with a time crystal does not contain kinetic energy in the traditional sense; rather, it might be exploited for quantum computing. This would not indicate that there is an infinite supply of free energy.

 

It is essential to have two states, as this provides the foundation upon which calculation can be performed. In classical computer systems, the most fundamental unit of information is called a bit, and it can exist in one of two states: either 0 or 1. On the other hand, in quantum computing, each "qubit" can exist in more than one location simultaneously, enabling significantly greater computing power.

 

"This may imply that time crystals can be utilized as a component in the construction of quantum devices that are functional in environments other than the laboratory." In a project of this kind, the two-tiered system that we have just finished developing would serve as an essential structural component, "Autti remarked.

 

Although we are still far from having a quantum computer that works, this finding opens up some exciting new lines of inquiry. Suppose researchers can operate the two-time-crystal system without obliterating its quantum states. In that case, they may be able to construct larger systems of time crystals that can function as genuine computational devices.

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/time-crystals-linked

Image source  : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/analisis-biokimia-biologi-2030261/

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