00:00But if we allow energy input, researchers have turned to systems that are out of equilibrium,
00:06systems that are periodically supplied with energy.
00:10At first it seemed like cheating. You add energy, you get oscillations, just like in a quartz clock.
00:17But here's the difference. A time crystal, when activated with energy,
00:21spontaneously responds with oscillations that have a period different from that of the excitation.
00:26So it's not like a clock where the frequency is the same.
00:29For example, you hit the crystal with a pulse every second and it responds once every 7.2 seconds.
00:36That's not regular resonance, it's the system imposing its own natural rhythm.
00:42It's almost like a time crystal.
00:44This is the difference between a time crystal and a quartz crystal in a watch.
00:49Quartz vibrates exactly at the frequency of the applied current.
00:54A time crystal, on the other hand, breaks symmetry.
00:57It oscillates at its own period, independent of the energy source.
01:02This subtle distinction is crucial.
01:04Otherwise, any watch would be a time crystal.
01:07All right.
01:08Let's see.
01:10Ciao.
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