# phys: Sir Isaac in the corner? The image of a "Time crystal", as a perpetual chaotic "out-of-equilibrium" phase; order and stability in an excited, evolving state.

<< A time crystal is a new phase of matter that, simplified, would be like having a snowflake that constantly cycled back and forth between two different configurations. It’s a seven-pointed lattice one moment and a ten-pointed lattice the next, or whatever. >>

<< What’s amazing about time crystals is that when they cycle back and forth between two different configurations, they don’t lose or use any energy. >>

<< Time crystals can survive energy processes without falling victim to entropy. The reason they’re called time crystals is because they can have their cake and eat it too. >>

<< They can be in a state of having eaten the whole cake, and then cycle right back to a state of still having the cake – and they can, theoretically, do this forever and ever. >>

<< Most importantly, they can do this inside of an isolated system. That means they can consume the cake and then magically make it reappear over and over again forever, without using any fuel or energy. >>️

Tristan Greene. Google's 'time crystals' could be the greatest scientific achievement of our lifetimes. Jul 30, 2021. 

https://thenextweb.com/news/google-may-have-achieved-breakthrough-time-crystals  

<< The time crystal is the first “out-of-equilibrium” phase: It has order and perfect stability despite being in an excited and evolving state. >>

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Natalie Wolchover. Eternal Change for No Energy: A Time Crystal Finally Made Real. Jul 30, 2021. 

https://www.quantamagazine.org/first-time-crystal-built-using-googles-quantum-computer-20210730/

Xiao Mi, Matteo Ippoliti, et al. Observation of Time-Crystalline Eigenstate Order on a Quantum Processor. arXiv:2107.13571v1 (quant-ph). Jul 28, 2021.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.13571