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Time crystals arent something out of Tony Starks glossary of inventions. Tony Stark is, of course, the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, also known as Iron Man. You get the picture Tony Stark is fictional. Time crystals, however, have transitioned from the world of fantasy into that of reality. And dont let the name mislead you. Time crystals dont have anything to do with time (much less time travel).

Time crystals are basically structures that repeat both in space and in time. They are among the first examples of a phase of matter known as the non-equilibrium phase they move without requiring energy, and they never reach a steady state because of their constant motion.

The existence of this bizarre type of matter was first proposed in 2012 by physicist and Nobel Prize winner Frank Wilczek. Four years later, the hypothetical structure came into actual being as two separate research teams one from the University of Maryland and the other from Harvard University were able to create their own versions. The University of Maryland team used a chain of ytterbium ions while the Harvard team used a synthetic diamond.

Scientists are still speculating on what time crystals can be used for. Right now, a research team from Harvard led by Mikhail Lukin and Eugene Demler (both physics professors), is working on a quantum system that makes use of time crystals. Going beyond mere understanding of how non-equilibrium systems (such as time crystals) work, they are carefully considering the practical applications for these systems. And while they believe its still a bit far-off, one possible application they have thought of is quantum computing.

As Lupin said in an interview, This is an area that is of interest for many quantum technologies, because a quantum computer is basically a quantum system thats far away from equilibrium. Its very much at the frontier of researchand we are really just scratching the surface.

Quantum computers are being hailed as the next generation of computers that will be more powerful and far more efficient than any existing conventional computer. And its because of how they will process data. Unlike todays computers which rely on bits that can represent either 0 or 1, quantum computers will rely on qubits (short for quantum bits) that can represent 0, or 1, or 0 and 1 simultaneously through the extraordinary phenomenon called superpositioning (being in two states at once).

All around the world, scientists have been attempting to build a quantum computer. And so far, the race is still on. The motivation behind it isnt hard to understand we need to have quantum computers now so that we can have have a better shot at addressing the worst problems we are facing, including global warming, curing disease, antibiotic resistance and lack of safe drinking water.

Time crystals might not have anything to do with time. But maybe time is exactly whats needed so the weird mechanisms that make them behave like they do can eventually be harnessed and the first fully functioning quantum computer can finally be built.

See the article here:
Could Time Crystals Hold The Key To Building The First Quantum Computer? - Wall Street Pit