Physicists create visible time crystal that oscillates for hours
NYU physicists have built a "time crystal" you can actually see, using just two tiny Styrofoam beads and sound waves.
The beads floated in place and started moving in a repeating pattern—61 times per second—for hours on end.
This experiment is a big step for understanding weird physics and could even help explain things like our body clocks.
How they did it
The team set up the beads inside a standing sound wave.
Because the bigger bead pushed harder, it made the smaller one react differently, breaking Newton's usual rules about equal-and-opposite forces.
That's what kicked off their long-lived, self-sustaining oscillations.
Why it matters
Having a visible time crystal makes it way easier to study these strange effects in real life—not just theory or quantum labs.
It could lead to better ways of building quantum tech, and maybe even help us figure out how natural rhythms (like sleep cycles) work.
The findings were published in Physical Review Letters.