Scientists have revealed a new time crystal that could reshape how we understand time itself. Known as a time quasicrystal, this strange structure doesn’t just repeat in time – it changes endlessly without ever looping, defying one of the most familiar patterns in nature.
Time crystals, first demonstrated in 2016, behave unlike any ordinary material. In traditional crystals – like salt or quartz – atoms are arranged in repeating patterns across space. Time crystals shift that pattern to time itself.
Their atoms move in a repeated cycle, forming a rhythm that doesn’t use up energy. Scientists often compare them to a watch that never needs winding.
The birth of the time quasicrystal
Now, researchers have advanced the concept further by creating what they call a time quasicrystal. Unlike regular time crystals, which repeat the same motion endlessly, time quasicrystals change their atomic motion in a way that never repeats – yet still follows an underlying order.
They “are ordered but apparently not periodic,” the team wrote in their findings, published in Physical Review X.
Diamonds, nitrogen, and microwaves
To build the time quasicrystal, scientists started with a diamond about the size of a grain of sand. Using a focused beam of nitrogen, they knocked out carbon atoms inside the diamond’s structure. This left behind more than a million tiny voids – each just one-millionth of a meter wide.
Electrons quickly moved into those empty spaces and began to interact with nearby particles. These interactions happen at the quantum level, where the normal rules of physics often don’t apply.
NEW PHASE OF MATTER: SCIENTISTS CREATE “TIME QUASICRYSTAL” INSIDE A DIAMOND
Physicists at Washington University have created a never-before-seen state of matter called a “discrete time quasicrystal” (DTQC)—using quantum spins in a diamond.
By zapping the diamond with laser… pic.twitter.com/fx31LfwdRT
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 27, 2025
To activate the crystal’s unique behavior, the researchers used microwave pulses. These pulses set the particles into motion, creating a rhythmic structure that shifted in time but never repeated.
“The microwaves help create order in time,” said Bingtian Ye, a researcher at MIT and co-author of the study.
Real-world potential and future tech
Beyond the scientific novelty, the new crystal could one day lead to practical applications. Because of their sensitivity to small environmental changes – such as magnetic fields – time quasicrystals could be used to develop extremely precise sensors.
Their stable, repeating movements also offer possibilities in quantum computing. Scientists believe they could be used to store data in a way similar to how standard computers use RAM.
“They could store quantum memory over long periods of time, essentially like a quantum analog of RAM,” said Chong Zu, a physics professor at Washington University in St. Louis and lead researcher on the project. “We’re a long way from that sort of technology, but creating a time quasicrystal is a crucial first step.”
While the discovery remains in the early stages, experts say it confirms several key ideas in quantum theory – and marks a milestone in the search for stable quantum systems.
