‘Time crystal’ created in lab
Flipped ions return to original positions periodically to demonstrate new form of symmetry breaking
TIME CRYSTAL Crystals can form in time as well as in space, scientists have confirmed. Scientists hit a chain of ions with lasers to create the time crystal, which undergoes symmetry breaking in time, just as a normal crystal (shown above) breaks the symmetry of space.
Shilova Ekaterina/Shutterstock
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