Researchers have successfully observed a time crystal oscillating at GHz frequencies on a chip, marking the first time such high-frequency oscillations have been observed in a condensate sample on a semiconductor device. This discovery could lead to new applications in optoelectronic devices.
Time crystals are a special material that exhibits a periodic structure in time and the usual spatial periodicity observed in crystals. They can maintain their non-equilibrium state even without any external driving force.
The researchers in this study created these crystals using a special semiconductor chip containing a condensate of excitons, which are bound electron-hole pairs. The researchers could excite the excitons into a time-crystalline state by applying a laser pulse.
Creating these crystals on semiconductor chips could have several important applications. For example, it could be used to develop new types of lasers or other optoelectronic devices.
The time crystals in this study were created using a condensate of excitons and bound electron-hole pairs in a semiconductor. The researchers observed time crystal oscillations at frequencies in the gigahertz (GHz) range. The potential applications of these crystals in optoelectronic devices are still being explored, but this research is a promising step forward.
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