Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture Series - Paul Hess: "Once Upon a Time Crystal"

Paul Hess, Assistant Professor of Physics
“Once Upon a Time Crystal”

Recently, separate groups of physicists have assembled microscopic samples of matter that exhibit surprisingly clock-like behavior. These exotic creations have been cleverly dubbed time crystals, a name which invokes wizards and seances, and their academic study has continued to pique the interest of the popular press, thanks in part to their imaginative title. In this talk, Professor Hess will discuss the interesting features of these time crystals and their connection to quantum computers, highlighting the broader scientific goals of this research while cutting through the popular hype. He will describe his role in the creation of one of the first time crystals, and how this all connects to research in his lab here at Middlebury.