Models · Google AI Blog
Time crystals show an oscillating pattern in time
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Can you give an example of a time crystal?
Key facts
- To answer some common questions about this phenomenon, Google Quantum AI research scientists Pedram Roushan and Kostyantyn Kechedzhi answer the frequently asked questions
- Quantum computers will allow them to do hard computations and help them rethink their understanding of the fundamentals of science
- For years, scientists have theorized about the possibility of a time crystal and wondered whether one could ever be observed
- At the microscopic level, they’re made up of repeating patterns — many layers of atoms that ultimately form a physical structure
Summary
Quantum computers will allow them to do hard computations and help them rethink their understanding of the fundamentals of science. For years, scientists have theorized about the possibility of a time crystal and wondered whether one could ever be observed. A time crystal may sound like it's from the pages of a science fiction novel, but it’s something that they've demonstrated is possible to observe, even though it may appear to go against the basic laws of nature. At the microscopic level, they’re made up of repeating patterns — many layers of atoms that ultimately form a physical structure. Let’s say you took pictures of a planet and its orbiting moon every time it finishes its orbit over a period of time with the Hubble Telescope. These pictures would all look the same with the moon repeating its orbit over and over again. Now hypothetically, let’s say there were hundreds of new moons added to the planet’s orbit.