Exotic states of matter known as time crystals are largely considered a quantum phenomenon. Now, a team from New York University (NYU) has shown that a classical time crystal can emerge in a far ...

Very simplified toy models help scientists get started, but the real world is far more complex.

Physicists at NYU have discovered a new type of time crystal—an exotic state of matter whose particles rhythmically “tick” while levitating on sound waves.

When materials become just one atom thick, melting no longer follows the familiar rules. Instead of jumping straight from solid to liquid, an unusual in-between state emerges, where atomic positions ...