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NYU Researchers Create Time Crystal with Acoustic Levitator

3/23/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Researchers at New York University (NYU) developed a visible time crystal using an acoustic levitator that suspends tiny styrofoam beads in mid-air.
The compact device shows nonreciprocal interactions that defy Newton's Third Law, with beads oscillating by scattering sound waves.
The findings, published in Physical Review Letters in March 2026, credit Physics Professor David Grier and students Mia Morrell and Leela Elliott.

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Story summary

Researchers at New York University (NYU) developed a visible time crystal using an acoustic levitator that suspends tiny styrofoam beads in mid-air.
The compact device shows nonreciprocal interactions that defy Newton's Third Law, with beads oscillating by scattering sound waves.
The findings, published in Physical Review Letters in March 2026, credit Physics Professor David Grier and students Mia Morrell and Leela Elliott.