You are probably searching for this new phase of matter and whatever you are reading is going through right over your head. In that case, this simplified version is for you.
First of all, we need to understand what crystal is. When atoms, molecules, or ions get together and are arranged in a particular manner, they form crystals. Crystals are generally symmetric when you look at them, but from a certain direction, they can be asymmetric. But for the crystal to have an asymmetric structure it should be in the ground state. (Ground state is a zero energy state, where atoms or molecules, or ions have zero energy, which means no vibration). In such still, without any motion state crystals look asymmetric from certain directions.
This was all about ordinary crystals, but for time crystals it’s a different story. Motion occurs in time crystals even in zero energy state or ground state. (Which type of motion?) Time crystals rotate periodically in time breaking time symmetry(so they are asymmetric as ordinary crystals). Conclusion: Both types of crystals are (Space) asymmetric in the ground state. Time crystals have additional time asymmetry+ and vibration in the ground state. This is what makes it a different type of matter.
So far two teams have created time crystals. One from the University of Maryland and the other from Harvard. They have recipe to make time crystals and a detailed blueprint to measure their properties of it. Other teams from all over the world will try this recipe and check whether our new item tastes the same or not.
Its vibration even in the ground state raises one question, can it be used as Perpetual Motion Machine? (PMM is a machine that generates energy without consuming anything, literally anything). But, no. Since it does have energy in the ground state (where it should not have), we would not be able to extract energy from it( at least not for now).
Though we will not be experiencing a such phase of matter in day-to-day life as we do experience solid, liquid, and gas. But that does not mean we should not know about it. In schools, they mostly teach about the first three-phase only. Students and sometimes even teachers don’t know that we have a total of six phases of matter now. Plasma, bose-einstein condensate, and time crystal are the next three. I hope you understand time crystal now. Share with people around you so they at least know about the total phases of matter.
