Physicists create time crystal that can be seen with naked eye
NYU physicists just built a handheld device that makes tiny beads float and move in mid-air, creating what they call "levitating time crystals."
Their acoustic levitator uses sound waves to keep the beads hovering and moving in patterns you can actually see with your eyes.
Beads could move on their own for minutes
The team found these beads could move on their own for minutes at a time, thanks to a cool effect where bigger beads push around smaller ones.
This discovery could help scientists design new gadgets like super-precise sensors or signal generators—and it even gives us clues about how quantum time crystals might work someday.
Floating crystals can switch between 4 different motion states
These floating crystals can switch between four different motion states, including one that breaks space-time symmetry—pretty wild!
All of this happens without any external timer, just from the way the beads interact and balance out air friction.