Scientists just bent time and discovered a whole new phase of matter.

⏳ Scientists just bent time and discovered a whole new phase of matter. 

Welcome to the era of time quasicrystals!

In a groundbreaking breakthrough, physicists at Washington University in St. Louis have created a time quasicrystal—a brand-new phase of matter that unfolds not just in space, but also in time.

 Built inside a diamond, this strange structure doesn't simply oscillate like a ticking clock; it pulses with multiple, non-repeating frequencies, forming a complex but stable pattern in four dimensions.

Unlike traditional crystals that repeat in space, or time crystals that repeat in time, time quasicrystals exhibit long-range temporal order without repeating, similar to how spatial quasicrystals are ordered but non-periodic.

The researchers engineered this phenomenon using a diamond lattice filled with nitrogen vacancies, where the spins of electrons interact quantum mechanically. These interactions generated synchronized, multi-frequency oscillations that remain coherent over extended periods—a rare feat in quantum systems. 

Beyond its novelty, the discovery opens exciting possibilities for quantum technologies. Time quasicrystals may one day enable ultra-precise quantum sensors and stable quantum memory devices, laying the foundation for more robust quantum computers and deeper control over time-based quantum behavior.

source

“Observation of a Time Quasicrystal and Its Transition to a Time Crystal,” Physical Review X, 2025.