Physicists discover new crystals that don’t form in space, but in time itself

Researchers in Vienna have discovered something remarkable: crystals that don’t form in space, like diamonds or salt, but in time itself. Instead of atoms arranging neatly into repeating patterns, these new “time crystals” pulse with their own steady rhythm, oscillating endlessly without being driven by an outside clock.

Scientists say they’ve now found not just one, but two new kinds of continuous time crystals. Unlike earlier versions that needed a repeated push—like a drumbeat—these ones emerge on their own. That means time itself can become ordered in a surprising and deeply quantum way.

The concept of a crystal usually calls to mind something solid. In a liquid, particles move randomly until the liquid freezes. Then they settle into a repeating lattice pattern, breaking the symmetry of the liquid. Every direction is no longer the same—you see order.

Physicists have long wondered whether the same thing could happen with time. Could a quantum system, at first identical from one moment to the next, suddenly fall into a natural rhythm without anyone winding the clock?

That question has fueled debate for more than a decade. And now, detailed models show it is possible—not just in rare circumstances, but in ways no one had predicted.

“Time crystals are possible—systems in which a temporal rhythm is established without being imposed from outside,” said Felix Russo, a doctoral researcher in Thomas Pohl’s group at TU Wien. Russo explained that scientists used to believe such phases would vanish once quantum fluctuations were taken into account. “We have now shown that it is precisely the quantum physical correlations between the particles, which were previously thought to prevent the formation of time crystals, that can lead to the emergence of time-crystalline phases.”

In other words, the noisy, jittery side of quantum mechanics—the part that looks random—actually helps stabilize these time rhythms. Instead of ruining order, it keeps it alive.

To explore this idea, the researchers studied a lattice of particles, each able to exist in three states: a ground state, an intermediate level, and a highly excited “Rydberg” state. Lasers connected these states, and the particles also interacted with one another depending on how close they were.

This setup, known as a Rydberg atom array, is already a favorite tool in quantum labs. It has been used to study magnetism, entanglement, and even exotic phases of matter. But here, scientists looked for something more elusive: whether the system could fall into a natural beat, oscillating between states without being forced.

Dissipation—energy leaking out of the system—turned out to be important too. Instead of stopping the rhythm, this energy loss helped balance the system, leading to repeating cycles of activity.

To track whether these cycles really formed, the researchers measured how the population of excited particles changed over time. The results revealed not one but two different oscillatory phases.

The first, called qCTC-I, looked like a familiar time crystal corrected for quantum effects. It matched earlier theories but held steady even when real-world quantum fluctuations were added.

The second, qCTC-II, was completely unexpected. It appeared only because of quantum correlations—connections between particles that can’t be explained by average behavior alone. In this state, the rhythm didn’t rely on long-range order. It was something new: a phase that exists only because of the weird rules of quantum mechanics.

One surprise was that these time-crystal phases only showed up in systems with three particle states, known as spin-1 systems. In simpler spin-½ systems, with only two levels, the effect vanished. That finding suggests extra complexity may be required to make time crystals real.

It also raises new questions. Are three levels the minimum needed? Could other platforms, such as molecules or solid-state materials, host similar time crystals? Researchers are now eager to test those ideas.

The most exciting part may be that this isn’t just theory. The parameters used in the models match those achievable in current labs. With Rydberg atom experiments advancing quickly, scientists expect real tests of qCTC-I and qCTC-II soon.

Because the qCTC-II phase naturally suppresses energy loss, it could be especially stable in practice. That means researchers might watch time symmetry breaking play out in the lab, confirming that time itself can crystallize through quantum effects alone.

The discovery of qCTC-II expands the landscape of nonequilibrium matter, showing that time symmetry breaking can be a truly quantum phenomenon. It hints at new tools for quantum technology, from more reliable clocks to memory systems that rely on stable oscillations.

“This is a surprising new insight into the quantum physics of many-particle systems,” Russo said. “The complex quantum interactions between the particles induce collective behavior that cannot be explained at the level of individual particles.”

Like smoke rising in ordered rings from a candle, time crystals reveal that rhythm can emerge naturally from chaos. Only here, the rhythm unfolds not in space but across the very flow of time.

The discovery of two new continuous time crystals could reshape how you think about time in quantum physics. These phases may lead to breakthroughs in quantum computing, more precise atomic clocks, and new ways to store or transmit information.

Because the effect is stabilized by quantum correlations, it also provides a new tool for exploring entanglement and dissipation, which are central to building future quantum technologies.

If confirmed experimentally, these findings could give scientists new control over systems that rely on long-lived, self-sustaining oscillations.

Research findings are available online in the journal Physical Review Letters.

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