Starts out sounding pretty exciting…
Time crystals could behave almost like perpetual motion machines
As every young science student knows, moving objects have kinetic energy. But just how much energy does something need to move? In a new study, a pair of physicists has shown that it’s theoretically possible for a system in its lowest energy state, or ground state, to exhibit periodic motion. This periodically moving system can be thought of as the temporal equivalent of a crystal, which is defined by its spatial periodicity. What’s even more intriguing about these “time crystals” is that, by exhibiting motion at their state of lowest energy, they break a fundamental symmetry called time translation symmetry and become “perilously close” to looking like perpetual motion machines.
Sadly, we’ll have to file this either under “nothing to see here” or “not much to see here.”
First off, we don’t know that any of these systems existing in their lowest energy state and yet demonstrating periodic motion actually exist. It seems they could exist. And (this is potentially the most interesting part) we might be able to create them.
Secondly, even if we found one or created it, it would have to be a completely closed system. No energy going in, but none coming out, either — meaning our perputaul motion machine would not be able to do any work or produce any energy. It would just be a very interesting system.