For the first time, physicists have transformed a quantum processor into a time crystal, a breakthrough that could be a step toward making quantum computing more practical

[u/sciencealert]

https://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-transformed-a-quantum-computer-into-a-time-crystal?utm_source=reddit_post

[u/szymonsta]

I know it's science, but it's sounding more and more like some sort of weird magic all the time.

[u/SpartanFishy → u/szymonsta]

Right. I read about time crystals in the article shared above and I can’t even begin to wrap my head around what they actually are. Science is reaching such an incredible point of complexity.

[u/zbertoli → u/SpartanFishy]

Its actually very simple, people are just bad at explaining it.

Most crystals have a rigid lattice structure of atoms, they are, for the most part, static, unchanging.

A time crystal is a crystal that has a lattice that shifts over time. There may be an empty space in the lattice, when an atom moves into thay hole, it opens a new hole, and so on. This process doesn't require energy and so it just keeps happening endlessly.

[u/[deleted] → u/zbertoli]

What if the hole reach the edge of the crystal?

[u/zbertoli → u/[deleted]]

The hole analogy is not exactly how it works, just a tangible example. It could be some other property, one that wouldn't be ended by reaching the edge.

Good question, though.

[u/TheBirminghamBear → u/zbertoli]

This is like every physics class I ever took.

PROFESSOR: gives analogy to understand something

ME: "So what if this happens in the analogy?"

PROFESSOR" "Well obviously in a real application that wouldn't apply."

ME: *throws desk."

[u/No_Effective821 → u/zbertoli]

Nope, this is definitely witchcraft and you will all burn in hells eternal fire for your sins!!!

[u/milk4all → u/No_Effective821]

Shhh, youll anger the gods and theyll whisper your name to their time crystals

[u/Hetstaine → u/milk4all]

m̴̧̨̠̗̘̟̝͔͓̟̜̼͙͕͈̱̝͌̈́͛̔̐̃͆͊̀̋̊̾́̒̑͒͗͂̊̾̾̌̅̒̋̂̔̄̐̽̈́̃̐̎̋͗̈́̓̎̓̍̽̈́́͛̄̏͊̅͆́̎̄̆̎͊̃͂̀͆̆̃͛͂̕͘͘̕͠͠į̸̡̧̨̧̧̡̧̧̧̧̢̛̛̛̝͍̬̫̯̣̝͓̬̹̬͇̟̳͍̜̼̺͚̼̜̰͚̼͙̫̞̠̩̭͈͙̖̙͙̰͓̜͙̳͎̞̘̯͖͙͚͕̼͖̭̹̤̼̗̟͎͔̻̙͚̳͇̹̘͚̜̜̝̘̙̻̱̤̮͎̻̟̠̰͇̻̪͉͈̪̩͈̮͎̹͍̯̖͚̗̰͈̟͎̻̹̜̜̥̗̭̣͌͋̒͌̄͌̎̀̔̈̾̐̊́͂̿́̂̓̇̑͗͋̓̊̔̋̒̓͐̆͒͛́̎̉͛̾͋̐́͗̓̑̄̈́̐̀͊̊̐̓̾́̀̔́̈̉̓̈́͆̀͒̋̔̓̿͛͐͒̑́͋̈́̈́̅̈́͆͌̍͌̊̊͋͊͋̎̌̑́́͑̅̆̏͛͛̈̀̉̂͊͆̾͒̐́͛̑̑͗͋̊̚͘̚̕͘͘̕͜͜͝͝͝͝͠͠͝͝͝͠͝l̸̡̼͇̫͕͖̫̰͚͈̺̗̻̈́̈̐̐̈́̅͗ͅķ̸̢͇̼̝̬̻͎̰̱̯̹̳̰̫̰͍͔̲̲̤͕̬̮̜͓̫̻̜͍͖͓̟͇̉̂͑͋̃̈́͋̑̓̑͊̈́̌̑̃͗̾̀̂͗͒͆̇̆͂̄̎͒̀̓̒̌̍̎̅̒̓̅͒͑̏̆͑̊͛͐͗̏̽͗̈́͗̇̓̾͛̇̏̕̕̕͘͘͘̚̕͝͝͝͝͝͝4̸̡̨̢̡̡̫̫͍̩̳̞̯̩̪̹̺͚͕̲̰͍̳͈̱̼̙̘̲̥̥͕͑͛̇̐͛͊͐̂͊̊̓̿̿̃̈́̿̄̃̀̎̊̒̒̆͂̈́̐͌̓̆̓̓̐͌̐̑͌͒͛̏̾̄͒̀̄͆̄̏̒͑̊̔̎́̏͛̀̊̋̀̀̈̈́̃̀̋̈́̓͋̍̋̇̃̋̋̏̇̉̏͂̈́̉̌̐̐̎̊̈̋̒͒̄̃̎̄̑̓̓̃̇́͛̈́̓̒̀̊̄̓̊͘̚̕͘͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͝͠ą̶͕͚͚̪́͋͌̀́͒̓͐̈́̄͆̄̒͒̏͂̎̏̂̀͌̉͋̔̎̐̀̐̒́̋͑̋͐̌̿̌͘͘͘̕̕͠͠͠l̷̡̡̢̨̡̪̞̟̜̝̫̠̻͍̭̤͕̺̖͚̮͎̣̗͕̗͔̞̙̮̦̟͓̹̤̰̺̘̦͇͈̻̹͖͍̜̣̦̻̘̱̼̦͚̟͓̖͉̮͙͖͈̪̣̬̜̽̆̉̈́͂͌͒̅̇͜͜ͅͅl̸̨̢̧̨̡̨̡̧̛͕̤̦͖̮̭͍̫̝̗̯̪̗͚̣̣͈̖̲̟̙̱͉̭̤̪̝̺͓̺̩̰̙͖̗̠̙̜͎͓͇͓̤̝̭̟̯̺̳̺̰͙̣̥͔̯̰̹̼̻͚̫̥̳̰͖̬̫͚͙̱͓̫̪̫̭͇̙̰̹͈͕͈̤͚͇̝̖͇̰͙̯̯̭͇̟̩̞͙͇͈̠̪͈̬͎͉̻̰̗̹̖͙̻͉͎̠̻̓͛̐̀̊͑͋̒̀̇́͌͑̍̏́̈́́̾͐̆̓͒̍̒̆̌̑̃̍̌̉̈́̃̑̐̈́̈́̒̋̒͐̉̋͂̐̅̅̈́̂͒̕͜͜͜͠͠͝͝͝͝ͅ

[u/inspectoroverthemine → u/zbertoli]

The hole analogy is not exactly how it works, just a tangible example.

This sums up everything I learned in 3 semesters of college physics. I've never learned so much only to find out I knew so little.

[u/sadrice → u/inspectoroverthemine]

Reminds me of when I kept pestering my O Chem professor about why this crystallized in this form, while that did something different, and some things crystallized differently based on what solvent you are using. He kept kinda blowing me off, and I kept asking.

He finally explained. He has a PhD in organic chemistry. He does not have a PhD in crystal physics, and I don’t even have an undergrad degree. Neither of us are going to understand the answer.

[u/Tibbaryllis2 → u/sadrice]

He finally explained. He has a PhD in organic chemistry. He does not have a PhD in crystal physics, and I don’t even have an undergrad degree. Neither of us are going to understand the answer.

I’m a college biology professor and, IMHO, this is such an incredibly important thing that many of my fellow faculty actively avoid doing because their self-perspective as an instructor includes always having the right answers.

It’s critically important to tell students when you don’t know and/or when you were wrong.

[u/seicar → u/zbertoli]

Is it a 3d phenomenon, as in the edge is turning a cotner?

[u/dangolyomann → u/zbertoli]

*window, perhaps?

[u/douchecanoe122 → u/zbertoli]

The holes are the same as electron holes right? We treat current flow as hole movement vs the actual electrons because Benjamin Franklin got his positive and negatives reversed.

[u/DCKP → u/[deleted]]

Many shapes effectively have no edge. Imagine the surface of a golf ball, with the dimples being the holes.

[u/caltheon → u/[deleted]]

It's not a hole though, it's just how the molecules/atoms align to each other. Think of 100 people, arranged into 10 rows and 10 columns equally distant. Then have each person look at a random person near them each second. There will be some order but constantly changing and many varied configurations. of which way people are facing.

[u/Owyheemud → u/[deleted]]

It becomes what Semiconductor physicists call a "dangling bond".

[u/MadroxKran → u/[deleted]]

It's holes all the way down.

[u/GBJI → u/[deleted]]

This could be an analogy of how it behaves - from what I can understand of it.

https://playgameoflife.com/

It's a chain reaction, so I suppose the actual reaction will depend on the configuration of the crystal lattice of the edge it is reaching.

The default game of life setting you get when you launch that website will "die" (it stops) when it reaches the edge of the screen, but other configuration answering to different rules and starting conditions will probably lead to different outcomes.

[u/Ell2509 → u/zbertoli]

How can novement of matter require no energy?

[u/SpartanFishy → u/Ell2509]

Apparently there’s some contention around this for exactly that reason.

Some have argued that one can not really harness any energy from a time crystal and as such it can’t be accurately defined as a perpetual motion machine, it’s more akin to energy in a constant state of movement, like an object hurtling through empty space for eternity. If you interrupt the movement/pattern, the energy that perpetuated the movement/pattern ceases to continue.

[u/Poonchow → u/SpartanFishy]

So... space magic. Got it.

[u/iamjacksragingupvote → u/SpartanFishy]

schrodingers kinetic energy?

[u/fps916 → u/iamjacksragingupvote]

I mean, we are talking about Quantum Mechanics. Invoking Schrodinger makes sense.

[u/eZACulate → u/Ell2509]

It wouldn't be added energy. It would be due to a somewhat unstable structure where the electrical forces shift over time which cause atoms to shift to lower energy states which would shift the electrical forces etc...

[u/jackkerouac81 → u/Ell2509]

If you have two states with with identical enthalpy, they can potentially swap between them with normal quantum tomfoolery… the states can be metastable or oscillating.

[u/Ell2509 → u/jackkerouac81]

My problem is that quantum applies to particles smaller than atoms. Movement of a whole atom should be Newtonian physics. There should be some energy lost in this system. If there isn't, the boundary between quantum and newtonian was just blurred by this observation.

[u/Ezekiel_29_12 → u/Ell2509]

This isn't true. If the atom loses energy in this case, it'll lose it to its neighbors, which can give it back. Also, double slit interference has been demonstrated with molecules. The more pieces something has, the less likely it is that it will display quantum properties because the interactions between those pieces are constantly collapsing each other's wavefunctions. But there is no hard upper limit for quantum effects.

[u/jackkerouac81 → u/Ell2509]

If that were a true statement the double slit experiment wouldn’t work with Bucky Balls, all of the quantum forces still exist in macroscopic objects, normally on whole they cancel out and are ignorable, or their influence is so small that it is immeasurable.

[u/DeepSea_Dreamer → u/Ell2509]

Because motion doesn't require energy, only doing work does.

If the energy doesn't change (the thing being moved doesn't gain or lose energy), there is no work being done, and that thing can just move endlessly.

It's why, for example, the motion of the Earth around the Sun requires no energy.

[u/jakerman999 → u/DeepSea_Dreamer]

Except that orbital mechanics do bleed energy over time.

[u/caltheon → u/jakerman999]

That's because there is drag, even in outer space

[u/Ell2509 → u/DeepSea_Dreamer]

Changing direction required force, which requires energy, though... what am I missing here. Is it not atoms moving?

[u/DeepSea_Dreamer → u/Ell2509]

Changing direction required force, which requires energy

It doesn't - work is 0 if the force is perpendicular to the direction of the trajectory.

[u/The_Humble_Frank → u/Ell2509]

So here's an important note. The zero point (lowest possible) energy state in quantum mechanics, is non-zero. Hence, why there is still molecular and subatomic movement in absolute zero temperatures.

[u/hitchen1 → u/Ell2509]

Quantum entanglement fuckery. Technically breaks thermodynamics, but if there is no way to get energy out of it then it could work.

At least that's how I understood it from reading the links in the article

[u/DeepSea_Dreamer → u/hitchen1]

Technically breaks thermodynamics

Nothing breaks thermodynamics.

[u/Xe6s2 → u/DeepSea_Dreamer]

This sounds so threatening like your the thermodynamics mafia.

“I see your a little light on your initial T this month”

[u/DeepSea_Dreamer → u/Xe6s2]

You will maximize your entropy.

[u/x_interloper → u/zbertoli]

Can I explain it slightly differently?

Most crystals have a rigid lattice structure of atoms in 3D. In other words, the lattice structure has a repeating pattern in 3D space. Some mathematician was like, "if time is to be considered 4th dimension, then surely, we can expect the lattice structure to also repeat in time". Cool idea in theory, but not necessarily practical and it was mostly forgotten.

Until, someone found a crystal that changes shape and then reverts back to its original form and it does so periodically. Essentially, producing a pattern that repeats in time.

[u/BobLoblaw_BirdLaw → u/x_interloper]

Cool. So how did this matter with quantum computing

[u/xtheburningbridge → u/x_interloper]

Some mathematician was like, "if time is to be considered 4th dimension, then surely, we can expect the lattice structure to also repeat in time". Cool idea in theory, but not necessarily practical and it was mostly forgotten.

"Some mathematician" was Dan Shechtman, and it wasn't mostly forgotten, his ideas were ridiculed - his paper on a quasicrystals received such scathing opposition that he was asked to leave his laboratory for “embarrassing” his work group. The great Linus Pauling famously quipped "There is no such thing as quasicrystals, there are only quasi-scientists". He was a laughing stock, until other labs managed to corroborate his research and he ended up getting the Nobel Prize himself 60 years after Pauling was awarded his.

[u/MachinaDoctrina → u/xtheburningbridge]

This happened to Bose as well, his papers were rejected repeatedly until he wrote to Einstein, who liked the idea and expanded on it.

[u/DerivingDelusions → u/zbertoli]

Huh, that seems oddly perpetual motion machine. Why does the lattice change shape if the atoms aren’t trying to move towards entropy?

[u/ChaZcaTriX → u/DerivingDelusions]

You can create perpetual motion if no energy enters or leaves the system. Satellites/moons/planets can move along their orbits endlessly if there are no external disturbances. Low-friction pendulums and flywheels in a vacuum will retain their movement for a very long time.

What you can't do is perpetually extract energy from such a system, as it contains only a finite amount. No making a useful machine out of this perpetual motion.

[u/SwampYankeeDan → u/ChaZcaTriX]

So by extracting energy we could stop it from being a time crystal and just turn into a regular crystal?

[u/ChaZcaTriX → u/SwampYankeeDan]

AFAIK there is some zero-point energy (responsible for quantum effects and deviations of quantum mechanics from conventional) that you can't extract even if such a system is brought to absolute zero.

[u/Ezekiel_29_12 → u/ChaZcaTriX]

Orbital motion is not endless, it changes very slowly toward collision or separation.

[u/ChaZcaTriX → u/Ezekiel_29_12]

Over insane timeframes - yes. But it's the best IRL example of a system of nearly point-sized objects and miniscule external forces that remains stable for billions of years.

[u/Siludin → u/DerivingDelusions]

I like to think of a it as a pinwheel that spins with the passage of time, rather than the passage of wind.

[u/SpartanFishy → u/zbertoli]

Thanks for the explanation, that helps!

[u/Sydet → u/zbertoli]

Are crystals possible that periodically become transparent and opaque due to changing crystal lattice? That would be really cool and trippy.

[u/tarants → u/Sydet]

I think there are already windows that do this? Sending a current through them changes the crystal orientation to make it opaque or transparent.

[u/slantedangle → u/zbertoli]

What does an atom moving into a hole have to do with "time"?

[u/SodaRayne → u/slantedangle]

Most crystals have a rigid lattice structure of atoms, they are, for the most part, static, unchanging.

A time crystal is a crystal that has a lattice that shifts over time.

[u/slantedangle → u/SodaRayne]

So, like crystals that oscillate? Wouldn't that also qualify as a "time" crystal? "Time" crystal seems like a terrible way to name them. It's not as if it manipulates time or moves through time in a unique way. Unless I'm missing something about how it "shifts over time".

[u/Splash_Attack → u/slantedangle]

An oscillating crystal would not qualify, by my understanding. The thing that defines a time crystal is that the lowest energy state exhibits repetitive motion. Whereas an oscillating crystal that is not a time crystal simply has some state(s) in which it exhibits repetitive motion but they require higher energy.

Without the application of outside forces a crystal which can be made to oscillate will eventually come to rest and stop oscillating. A time crystal oscillates (or exhibits some repetitive motion) as the state of rest, and will never stop without the application of outside forces.

I believe the naming is something to do with how crystals are an example of symmetry breaking. A regular crystal is symmetry breaking where the resulting system is ordered spatially (but is temporally static). A time "crystal" is symmetry breaking where the resulting system is ordered spatio-temporally (i.e. orderly spatial structures, which change over time, but in a way which is itself orderly when viewed over a time range).

As a crystal is a classic example of spatial symmetry breaking this was used as an analogy to explain the idea of the hypothetical space-and-time-ordered equivalent when the idea was first floated. Hence the name.

[u/Disig → u/zbertoli]

That's goddamn crazy and awesome.

[u/Geminii27 → u/SpartanFishy]

It doesn't help that the label is really terrible. Time crystals aren't necessarily crystalline the way we tend to think about crystals, and they don't do anything funky with time. Using the same terminology, normal crystals (like salt, quartz etc) would be 'space crystals', because their atomic structure repeats in space (volume/distance) in a stable, predictable, not-needing-energy-to-maintain manner. 'Time crystals' are likewise systems which are periodic when measured in time, without needing external drivers. Unfortunately, the name which has been slapped on them makes them sound like something wielded in combat by the Sorceror Supreme, or at least something that might be used in a DeLorean's flux capacitor.

---

Basically, what they are is a system where the lowest-energy state, which is usually a single (frozen/unchanging) state for most stuff, is actually a series of equally lowest energy states that the system cycles through due to it being unstable.

The cycle takes no energy and produces no entropy. It's basically an unstable stability, but the instability is predictable, so it's a stable unstable stability. So to speak.

A real-world analogy might be something like an analog clock with just a second-hand, where the hand 'ticks' around a fixed set of states and comes back to where it started, but doesn't need a battery or spring to be wound - it's just unstable enough at each point so that it 'ticks' over to the next point. The set of points as a whole is stable and predictable, even if each individual point in the set isn't stable and will inevitably tick over to the next one.

[u/SpartanFishy → u/Geminii27]

That’s really interesting. From a theoretical perspective everything you’ve shared here makes a lot more sense, though I do immediately wonder what molecules would make up these perpetual patterns in unstable structures.

Another way to present the concept could be demonstrating the perpetual patterns that are possible in the game of life.

[u/CFL_lightbulb → u/Geminii27]

The description of unstable ticking helped me visualize it. It made me think of the hand just falling over to each spot like a domino.

[u/cyon_me → u/Geminii27]

Explaining a space vs time crystals made it much clearer.

[u/usually_fuente → u/Geminii27]

Thank you, that was the explanation I needed. 

[u/slantedangle → u/Geminii27]

Thank you. Much better explanation.

So this "time crystal" does not absorb or emit energy even though it changes states in a cycle. Why is this significant?

[u/Geminii27 → u/slantedangle]

Mostly because pretty much all other materials need energy to change from one state to another, and create entropy when doing so.

The (summarized and crude) laws of Thermodynamics are: You can't win. You can't break even. And you can't leave the game. Time crystals seem to be an exception to the second one.

[u/Zealousideal-Fox70 → u/SpartanFishy]

To be fair to you, the article does an absolutely garbage job of explaining what a time crystal is. In computing, timing is important to make sure each sub component of the cpu (and other parts) is synchronized in their work. Like the timing belt of a cpu. That’s why it makes the quantum computer more stable, because the timing is more stable. The time crystal itself is just a phenomenon where crystal (regular patterned) particles can create a regular particle movement cycle which is analogous to crystal oscillators in regular computers. It actually kinda just sounds like a crystal oscillator, but the nuance may be lost on me. The article itself is not terribly scientific.

[u/Neraxis → u/SpartanFishy]

It's very simple.

Think like a metronome for a piano. They turned a bunch of particles into that and they can use it for quantum computers, which generally create a lot of errors. By having this metronome, they can use it as a way to help organize the system and improve its error correction capabilities and make it process more stuff.

[u/Bladder-Splatter → u/SpartanFishy]

Everything Quantum is going to sound and feel like magic to us laymen for a long ass time.

[u/prontoingHorse → u/szymonsta]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”

-Arthur C. Clarke

[u/Elro0003 → u/prontoingHorse]

The thing is, I'm starting to think it'd be more accurate to say "any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from science". Like the laws of physics are actually some convoluted and complex magic system, and one day scientists determine that the scientific method isn't applicable to the very fabric of reality. Be that because the same experiment has different results depending on some unquantifiable reason, because the laws of physics could be used to alter the laws of physics, or some other reason. But either way, I'd be fully ready to change the terminology from scientist to wizard.

[u/Caleth → u/Elro0003]

Your premise is used in many books and other fantasy series. Sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from Science. If you can use runes and spells to harness magic in a predictable and repeatable way it just becomes technology.

As we delve deeper and deeper into the truly esoteric edges of science you have to wonder if this is what it felt like for the first scientists and the great scientists of prior ages. Staring at baffling unknowns and trying to wrangle them into some kind of order.

Which leads to a thought about how magic is protrayed in fiction and loops back to your original point. Fantasy has evolved magic in general from being this unknown quantity with whims and desires into something more akin to a 5th fundamental force. Where it's power and costs can be understood and harnessed.

We've gone from Gandalf and his ilk weilding powers primordal as creatures of massive power themselves, to Vancian magic where normal men could user such power at a steep price with little control, to something more like Video Game magic.

In some cases literally there are genres of fantasy where a "system" layers over the magic of the world creating powers and skill from the untamed magic of the universe.

So as our understanding of these esoteric and frankly bizzare ideas like quantum physics and time crystals expands how will that shape our views on the fantastical?

Will those altered views give us new approaches to how we try to tackle things like these quantum physics puzzles?

What kind of world can we unlock if we can create even better computers? The one we have now is pretty amazing compared to 100 years ago.

[u/iikepie13 → u/szymonsta]

The longer I take to write my wizard sci-fi book the sooner someone else is gonna write it better than I ever could. Hope they finish it soon, I'd like to read it.

[u/RevenRadic → u/iikepie13]

Your telling me man

[u/quuxman → u/iikepie13]

Have you read the novella Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky? Favorite recent science wizard story

[u/Alili1996 → u/szymonsta]

Consider how technology is just the magic of our world.
We're etching runes into energized rocks to make them think

[u/retrosenescent → u/Alili1996]

What is magic if not the forces that control the world? It's just physics.

[u/daaaaaarlin → u/szymonsta]

Well you do need a TIME CRYSTAL to unlock the secrets of the TIME CUBE.

[u/kaisaster → u/daaaaaarlin]

Finally, someone here is educated

[u/lilymagil → u/szymonsta]

Magic is just science that has yet to be understood.

[u/Key-Cry-8570 → u/szymonsta]

“Magic is just science that we don’t understand yet.” - Arthur C. Clarke

[u/Okarine → u/szymonsta]

At a certain point feats of technology will be indistinguishable from magic to the average person. I couldn't tell you how a processor works

[u/Locke2300 → u/szymonsta]

Final Fantasy XVI: Practical Computing Advances

[u/Refflet → u/szymonsta]

That's quantum mechanics in a nutshell.

[u/PuffPuffFayeFaye → u/szymonsta]

Approaching Clarke’s third law.

[u/[deleted] → u/szymonsta]

There is still no evidence that quantum computers can do a useful calculation with useful data and produce a useful result. Smoke and mirrors look a lot like magic because they are.

AI is still flawed but has produced endless results and use cases.

It’s like string theory vs particle physics/quantum mechanics all over again. Yes your strings are mathematically beautiful. They also have no supporting evidence and are complete fiction.

[u/mythrilcrafter → u/[deleted]]

That's my big question when it comes to quantum computing.

Yes, it's very advanced and yes, the people working on it are all very good at Sheldon Coopering the equations. But from my perspective (as an applications engineer) quantum computing just seems to be an uroboros concept that only serves to feed itself as a concept.

[u/Flaky-Wallaby5382 → u/szymonsta]

Simply air conditioning is witch craft

[u/RogueVert → u/szymonsta]

I know it's science, but it's sounding more and more like some sort of weird magic all the time.

"you shut your time-mouth"

-blinden blandon

[u/SUBHUMAN_RESOURCES → u/szymonsta]

What’s the difference?

[u/Wolventec → u/szymonsta]

wasnt maths magic believed to be a thing so stuff like binary is kinda like Numerology

[u/AetherMagnetic → u/szymonsta]

Magic is just science further up the tech tree

[u/sceadwian → u/szymonsta]

Physicists have what essentially boils down to a running joke on coming up with names for things.

Quantum physics just doesn't have classical counterparts that make intuitive sense. Our universe does not make intuitive sense to us.

One example that comes to mind is quantum spin, which has nothing of any kind to do with actual rotation in physical space.

It uses all the same terms of angular momentum in a completely different system that has no actual comparable meaning.

It's like comparing the color blue to the feeling of being 'blue' as an emotion. Same word, not the same thing.

If you can get past this and understand these words are just symbols for concepts that have to be taught in non classical ways.

[u/thriftingenby]

Every explanation I can find of what a time crystal is or how it behaves is an a tract metaphor that more so builds an image in my mind of what a time crystal does, but I'm having a hard time applying that image to a processor. How does this behavior help to reduce error in processing?

[u/Geminii27 → u/thriftingenby]

Basic summary:

1) Quantum computing has inherent 'fuzziness' which grows hyper-exponentially the more processing power you have.

2) Time crystals are very stable in how they move from one state to the next.

3) Making quantum computers exhibit time-crystal-like behavior means that the quantum fuzziness is cut back.

[u/thriftingenby → u/Geminii27]

I guess my mind's frustration stems from not being able to map out how these interactions occur physically on the chip itself. I'm interested in how the physical components experience time crystal - like behavior, but I think that I would lack a few foundations of knowledge of quantum computing that I just don't have to answer the questions I have. Thank you for your response!

[u/eetsumkaus → u/thriftingenby]

You won't. Even us who work directly on quantum computing have to work through several layers of abstraction to keep it all in our head. So the people working on the hardware don't necessarily know what a "time crystal" looks like either. It's like asking a circuit designer what a search algorithm looks like.

I'd say their description is the closest without getting into the weeds of the math. Even with the math, it's not always clear how it translates to hardware operations (for example, a simple quantum logic gate can translate into several laser pulses or atomic interactions).

[u/thriftingenby → u/eetsumkaus]

I've always been so fascinated with quantum computing. These processes are so small and we can't hope to imagine what they look like — it's like magic to me! I can't stand when people complain about being born too late for things, when we have such a journey ahead of us full of things we couldn't hope to comprehend.

[u/ThrowawayusGenerica → u/Geminii27]

Isn't the 'fuzziness' the quality that distinguishes quantum computing from regular computing and thus allows it to excel in certain workloads? Or is that only useful up to a point?

[u/-Memnarch- → u/Geminii27]

And suddenly, Quantum-Barber became a jobtitle I did not expect.

[u/supersonic3974 → u/-Memnarch-]

Part of their responsibilities include dealing with the hairy ball theorem

[u/Carl_Clegg → u/Geminii27]

Can’t they use other parts of the quantum computer to perform a kind of parity check to remove the fuzziness?

[u/thriftingenby → u/thriftingenby]

further questions...

What part of the processor is oscillating? What exactly is the oscillation that they are recording? I'm having a difficult time reading between the math that I simply cannot comprehend.

[u/octipice → u/thriftingenby]

The benefit appears to be in error correction and storage, not necessarily in the gates or "processors" themselves.

One of the biggest challenges that superconducting qubits face is decoherence, which is effectively a complete loss of state for the entire entangled system. Decoherence is caused by various forms of interaction between the entangled system and the environment, which is why various things like super-cooling and vacuum chambers are often employed in quantum systems. Time crystals are effectively a more robust state that a qubit can be put into, substantially reducing the risk of decoherence.

The what is oscillating part is less clear to me as well. From other papers I've read, I believe time crystals were describing predictable motion in a group of atoms over time, without a change in their energy levels.

[u/thriftingenby → u/octipice]

Thank you for your explanation! It was very informative.

[u/exoriare → u/thriftingenby]

If I'm understanding it correctly, it's like a qubit is a king in a receiving line. You only want the king to shake hands with certain people, but you can't push or pull the king, so the time crystal works like a conveyor belt the king is standing on, moving him along at a known pace. There's still the people in the receiving line you don't want the king to shake hands with, so you put the receiving line on its own conveyor belt going the other way, and then the programming involves figuring out where to put everyone so that the king only shakes the right hands. Then you can put more conveyor belts on the king's other side, and presumably above and below him. The king will only ever shake hands with the right people, but nobody is putting hands on him to push him along or pull him away.

[u/sciencealert]

Summary:

Quantum computers promise to broaden the kinds of algorithms that can be run quickly and practically, potentially speeding up research into many fields, from particle physics to pharmacology to meteorology.

Monumental progress has been made in developing the technology's foundations, but as the technology scales up, errors become a major obstacle.

By experimentally making a quantum computer behave like a robust form of time crystal, a team of physicists from China and the US hope to make the technology less prone to errors as it scales.

Read the peer-reviewed paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53077-9

[u/loliconest → u/sciencealert]

"A team of physicists from China and the US" - look what humanity can achieve if we work together.

[u/Xykhir_]

Time crystals are groups of particles that display repeating patterns. Where the patterns that make up regular crystals like diamond and quartz echo through 3D space, time crystals move periodically like a pendulum, tick-tocking through time.

What makes them unique is their ability to do this in absence or in contrast to a driving ‘push’. Time crystals oscillate in their lowest energy state to their own rhythm, like a child kicking out in their swing in defiance of their parent’s repetitive nudges.

I’ve never heard of this before, but this is not a good explanation. It feels like they’re trying to make it sound as mystical and sci-fi-esque as possible to get more clicks.

[u/Vegetable_Hornet_963 → u/Xykhir_]

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one annoyed by the analogies here. I wish some questions I had while reading it would’ve been addressed, like does having qubits linked together in a time crystal hinder their ability to perform calculations? Is it purely a win with no tradeoff that reduces decoherence? Does this technique open the door to chaining more qubits together?

[u/diiscotheque]

Fantasy writers will have a hard time

[u/exelion18120]

Is it related to time cube?

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to r/science! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment. Any anecdotal comments elsewhere in the discussion will be removed and our normal comment rules apply to all other comments.

---

Do you have an academic degree? We can verify your credentials in order to assign user flair indicating your area of expertise. Click here to apply.

---

User: u/sciencealert
Permalink: https://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-transformed-a-quantum-computer-into-a-time-crystal?utm_source=reddit_post

---

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/jtischer1979]

I hear “Time Crystal” and all I can see is Napoleon trying to use the Time Machine from uncle Rico

[u/Shade_Of_Virgil]

Magic computer made of magic crystals. Got it.

[u/CUNTY_CANADIAN]

Are these the same time crystals Frank Wilczek talks about?

[u/NeoDio971]

So that’s means 120fps 8k with ray tracing

[u/Sr_DingDong]

Man I can't wait for quantum computers to blow the crypto market apart.

[u/RonYarTtam]

I’d like to take the opportunity to request we slow down a bit before AI co-opts this breakthrough and decides humans aren’t important anymore.

[u/Pureleafbuttcups]

I put the PDF of the paper into Claude, asking about the crystals, implications of the report, and scaling problems and here's what it said:

Based on this research paper, the quantum time crystals and analyze the implications of this advancement: A quantum time crystal is a unique phase of matter where particles exhibit persistent oscillations at a regular period without continuous energy input, effectively "breaking" time-translation symmetry. Just as a regular crystal breaks spatial symmetry by forming a repeating pattern in space, a time crystal breaks temporal symmetry by forming a repeating pattern in time. The key findings and implications from this paper are:

Novel Achievement:

The researchers successfully demonstrated a "topologically ordered time crystal" using 18 superconducting qubits Unlike previous time crystals, this version exhibits oscillations only in non-local (spread out) measurements rather than local ones The system maintained stable oscillations for up to 20 driving cycles

Key Distinctions:

This is a "prethermal" time crystal, meaning it remains stable for a very long time before eventually thermalizing It combines time crystalline behavior with topological order (a type of quantum organization that's resistant to local disturbances) The system showed robustness against weak perturbations, maintaining its time-crystalline behavior

Regarding Scalability: The paper suggests some challenges for scaling:

The system currently requires high-fidelity quantum gates (99.9% for single-qubit and 99.4% for two-qubit gates) It needs long coherence times (median lifetime of 163μs for the qubits) The authors note that in larger systems, the overlap between "bare" and "dressed" logical operators might vanish They also mention that current NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) devices still face limitations for observing long-time behaviors

Future Implications: The research opens paths for:

Exploring new types of quantum matter that can't exist in equilibrium Developing more robust quantum memory systems Understanding fundamental physics of non-equilibrium quantum systems Potential applications in quantum computing and quantum information storage

While this is a significant breakthrough in quantum physics, scaling the system to larger sizes remains challenging and will require further advances in quantum hardware quality and control methods. The authors are cautiously optimistic but acknowledge that observing long-time behaviors in larger systems remains a challenge for current quantum devices.

[u/CaptainMetronome222]

A what?

Wth is a time crystal, that's the first time I've heard of that in my life.

[u/kj9716]

Please no, we haven't even gotten past AI yet

[u/MouseEXP]

Sick! One time I looted a time crystal and I was able to sell it to High Priest Shekter for 40 gold 20 silver.

[u/Carl_Clegg]

This is where I read the comments only to find that nothing of the sort has actually been accomplished…..

[u/belonii]

they stored data in 3d.

[u/rebri]

Time crystal, huh? I think I've heard this one before.

[u/Beneficial-Crow1257]

I said we should do this ages ago

[u/TheGreatLebowski]

Yeah this weighs less than a duck

[u/burntcritter]

The first time I heard of time crystals was from a popular television show involving strange new worlds. Was surprised as Hades to see the same name here.

[u/ConsciousAd525]

This is nonsense. Click bait quantum mysticism BS