时间晶体首次与外部系统稳定耦合

Core Insights - The research team from Aalto University in Finland has successfully coupled time crystals with external systems, creating a stable optomechanical system, which opens new avenues for ultra-precise sensors and quantum computer memory units [1][2]. Group 1: Time Crystals - Time crystals are defined by their ability to maintain a lowest energy state that allows for continuous motion without external energy input, a concept proposed by Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek in 2012 [1]. - The existence of time crystals was experimentally verified in 2016, but previous attempts to couple them with external systems were unsuccessful due to the disruption of their perpetual motion characteristics [1]. Group 2: Experimental Methodology - The team utilized radio waves to inject magnetic quasiparticles into superfluid helium-3 at near absolute zero temperatures, leading to the spontaneous formation of time crystals with unprecedented stability [2]. - The time crystals maintained their motion for up to 108 cycles, approximately several minutes, before gradually becoming unobservable [2]. Group 3: Implications for Quantum Technology - The interaction between time crystals and adjacent mechanical oscillators is determined by the frequency and amplitude of the oscillators, resembling the widely used optomechanical effects in physics [2]. - The research indicates that time crystals could serve as a core memory unit for quantum computers, enhancing stability and computational efficiency, as well as acting as a frequency reference for high-sensitivity measurement instruments [2].