In ordinary crystals, atoms or molecules form a repeating pattern in space. By extension, in quantum systems known as time crystals, particles form a repeating pattern in both space and time. These exotic systems were predicted in 2012 and first demonstrated in 2016 (see Viewpoint: How to Create a Time Crystal). Now Chong Zu at Washington University in St. Louis and his colleagues have experimentally realized a new form of time crystal called a discrete-time quasicrystal [1]. The team suggests that such states could be useful for high-precision sensing and advanced signal processing.
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