Q&A: Crystallizing time—physicists create a new phase of matter in the center of a diamond

Physicists at Washington University in St. Louis have created a new "time quasicrystal," a novel phase of matter where particles repeat patterns over time, vibrating at different frequencies. Built inside a diamond using nitrogen beams and microwave pulses, these quasicrystals could potentially be used for quantum sensors, precision timekeeping, and quantum computer memory storage, though practical applications remain distant.