Reading that someone laughed, cried, prayed, or even gave to charity because of something you wrote is an intoxicating feeling. That rush is what drives us to share the exact same thrill with you. But before you can bask in that glow, you need to get your brilliant top‑ten list out of the swirling brainstorm in your head and onto the web. The journey isn’t as simple as it looks, but the payoff is priceless. In this article we’ll walk you through the top 10 steps that will transform a vague notion into a polished, publish‑ready list that readers can’t resist.

10 Find a Great Topic

The hardest hurdle is always the first one: deciding what to write about. When inspiration strikes, jot it down in a “Topic Diary” immediately. Don’t worry about fleshing it out right away; just capture the seed. If you’re stuck, skim the books you love, browse recent articles, or peruse community forums where hundreds of aspiring writers share suggestions. The audience is essentially whispering what they want to read, so treat those hints as gold.

9 Build a Bullet‑Point Brainstorm

Under each topic entry in your diary, start a simple bulleted list of potential list items. Keep each bullet to a few words—no need to order them yet. If you feel you don’t have enough ideas, consider merging two seemingly unrelated topics. For instance, “10 Star Vehicles That Were Black Holes” emerged by blending “Rock Stars in Movies” with “Worst Movies with Decent Budgets.” The mash‑up created a fresh, edgy angle that would have been dull on its own.

8 Draft a Blank Document and Title It

Open a fresh Word (or Google Docs) file and type your list’s title at the top. Beneath that, copy the bullet list you just assembled. Don’t force a strict ten‑item order; even six or seven solid entries will often sprout the remaining ones during research. This initial dump is your sandbox—feel free to experiment.

7 Create an Entry Box for Each Item

For every bullet point, set aside an “entry box.” Drop down a few lines, write the bullet on its own line, then hit Enter about ten times to create room for research notes. This empty space will later become the polished paragraph you publish. Think of the entry box as a mini‑canvas for each list element.

6 Research, Cut, and Paste Raw Data

Now dive into the archives, databases, and reputable websites to gather raw facts, quotes, and statistics that support each bullet. Paste the verbatim material starting on the seventh empty line of the entry box, and always add a bibliographic line directly beneath the pasted text. Do this for every source you consult. By the end, each entry box will be a dense, citation‑rich collection of information—hard to read, but a goldmine for the next stage.

5 Perform the Rough Cut

Look back at the raw data you just amassed and strip away anything you won’t actually use. The goal is to distill each entry to its essential supporting sentences. You’ll likely notice a jumble of voices because you’ve pulled from multiple authors. That’s fine; at this point the entry may read like a committee report, but it’s now leaner and more manageable.

4 Rewrite in Your Own Voice

Take the trimmed passage and rewrite it using a consistent tone that matches the rest of your list. This step transforms the patchwork of quotations into a seamless narrative that feels like it came from a single author—yourself. Delete the rough‑cut text but keep the source citations; they’ll stay handy for the editor’s reference.

3 Trim with Scissors (The Capote Rule)

Channel Truman Capote’s belief that “more in scissors than in pencils” by cutting every word that isn’t absolutely necessary. This ruthless editing hones clarity over cleverness. It may feel painful, but the result is a crisp, punchy paragraph that keeps readers glued to the page.

2 Add Visuals and Hyperlinks

If a particular entry benefits from a photo, chart, or video, gather the appropriate media and note the hyperlink in your source line. Editors love compelling graphics, and while the submission form may not allow direct image uploads, providing a link ensures the visual element can be incorporated later.

1 Order Your Entries and Polish the Finish

Decide whether you’ll rank from “worst to best” or “best to worst,” and assign each entry its place accordingly. Make sure each position has a clear rationale; the tension of progression keeps readers engaged. Once the order feels satisfying, give the entire list one last read‑through, enlist a trusted friend for a fresh perspective, and iron out any lingering awkward phrasing or typos.

Why Top 10 Steps Matter

Following a structured process like the top 10 steps outlined above not only streamlines your workflow but also dramatically improves the odds that your list will be accepted, shared, and celebrated. By treating each phase as a checkpoint, you avoid the common pitfalls of vague topics, sloppy research, and inconsistent voice.

After you’ve polished the final draft, let it rest for a day. Return with fresh eyes, make any last‑minute tweaks, then hand it off to a proofreader or a friend. When everything shines, hit the submit button and brace yourself for the inevitable wave of reader reactions—whether applause, critique, or the occasional troll. Remember: the journey from idea to published list is a marathon, not a sprint, and every step you take brings you closer to that exhilarating moment when your words move someone else.

Welcome to the 10 simple steps that will guide you toward earning a neat hundred dollars simply by penning captivating list articles for our platform. Whether you’re a veteran wordsmith or a fresh‑faced enthusiast, this roadmap walks you through every phase, from the first spark of an idea to celebrating your first payout.

10 Simple Steps Overview

10 Get An Idea

Easy, right? Well, not exactly. Honestly, this part is often the toughest hurdle in the entire writing journey. You might assume that with the constant stream of bizarre, jaw‑dropping happenings across the globe, snagging a simple, skinny idea for a top‑ten list would be a breeze—especially when a crisp $100 is on the line. But the reality is that pinpointing that perfect ticket to the front page isn’t a walk in the park.

Instead of forcing the brain to conjure an idea, let your everyday routine become the incubator. Keep browsing the same sites, devouring the same books, binge‑watching the same shows, but let a tiny mental hitchhiker linger in the corner of your mind, whispering, “Hey, that could become a killer list.” If you’re still stuck, broaden your horizons a bit. Got a taste for science? Dive into LiveScience, National Geographic, or Phys.org. Fascinated by unsolved murders? Check out The New Yorker, Harper’s, and NPR for deep‑dive coverage. Craving oddball history? Explore the DC poison squad or the Smithsonian’s quirky timeline of the Ouija board. The treasure trove of ideas is out there, just waiting for you to seize them. In fact, many of those links above haven’t yet been transformed into a list on our site.

9 Stick A Theme On It

We adore lists that orbit a tight, unmistakable theme. Typically, that theme becomes your list’s title—or at least the essence of it. It doesn’t need to be world‑shattering, but it should make the ground tremble because that’s the first thing readers encounter. Every entry should tie back to that central idea, which is why nailing the theme early on is crucial before you start hunting for entries.

Want to guarantee acceptance from both editors and readers? Twist your original concept. Instead of a bland “10 Unsolved Murders,” try “Robin Warder’s 10 Mysterious Disappearances With Bizarre Clues.” Swap a straight‑forward “Abraham Lincoln” list for “10 Reasons Lincoln Was Secretly a Terrible President.” Surprise us by presenting a familiar subject from an unexpected angle. No need to perfect the title right now—just cement the overarching theme, and research will flow more smoothly. The tighter your theme, the stronger the list.

8 Research The Dickens Out Of It

You’ve secured a powerful seed idea and a twisted theme that will make readers’ jaws drop. What’s next? The internet is a massive ocean of knowledge, eager to pull you into its depths forever, and hunting down those specific entries can feel like tossing a rock into the air and hoping it lands on the moon.

This is why the theme acts as your anchor when you’re scouring for entries. One strategy to streamline future lists is to build your own database of go‑to sites. I gravitate toward science‑centric resources, so I keep Wired, LiveScience, Phys.org, MNN, and NASA bookmarked for quick access. Need to write about “insect zombies”? Those sites will yield crazy examples without drowning you in endless Google results. If urban legends are your jam, bookmark sites that specialize in that niche. For politics, think CNN, BBC, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Google Books is a goldmine for historical lists. The internet is full of specialized corners—tap into them.

Remember, you must provide sources for every fact. We don’t accept Wikipedia or tabloid sites like The Daily Mail or The Metro as primary sources. If you start on Wikipedia (which is fine), you must locate the same information in a reputable source. Detailed source guidelines are in the author guide.

Research can make or break a list. It’s common to amass a mountain of potential entries only to realize the overall list won’t work. If that happens, keep your chin up—there’s still plenty to learn.

7 Get Your Outline Going

While researching, the simplest way to stay organized is to keep a Word document (or any note‑taking app) open, pasting quick entry titles alongside their source links. As you progress, a skeletal structure of your list will emerge on that page. My typical outline looks something like this—messy, incomplete, but it gives me a bare‑bones sense of each entry. If I end up with more than ten, I trim the list down to the strongest ten. Conversely, if entries start drifting toward a different focus, I can split them into two separate outlines and later choose the one that feels right.

How you set up your outline is entirely up to you, especially if you’re just dipping your toes into writing for us. It may require a bit more upfront effort, but that “white lady” won’t magically appear on its own—she needs a gentle nudge.

Also, whenever you stumble upon a potential entry, run a quick search on our platform to verify we haven’t already covered it. (The tiny magnifying glass in the top‑right corner is the search tool; you can also use Google’s site‑specific search.) We generally avoid duplicating topics unless you’re adding a substantial new angle. This quick check saves you from re‑writing an entry that’s already been published.

6 Write An Entry

Just one entry—don’t worry about the other nine for now. They’re off grabbing a snack; you’re left alone with a keyboard, roughly 150 words, and all the research you’ve gathered. Pick the entry that excites you most from your outline—perhaps the very first one that sparked the list—and flesh it out. Lead with the most compelling fact, the one that defines the entry.

Need an example? Suppose you’re crafting a list about “10 People Who Shouldn’t Be Alive,” and you come across a story of a woman who brewed a cup of tea after a .38‑caliber bullet pierced her skull. Your entry could open like this:

With her husband dead on the floor and blood streaming from two bullet holes in her head, Tammy Sexton needed something to take the edge off. So she brewed a hot cup of tea, then sat down to wait for the police.

This opening immediately hooks readers, and you can then expand on the details. Once you’ve nailed one entry, repeat the process—each iteration becomes easier as you get closer to completing the list. It’s easy to stare at a blank list and think, “I can’t write all that,” but breaking it into single entries tricks your brain into manageable chunks.

And hey, feel free to use the example above; it’s free for you to build a unique, intriguing list around it and submit it.

5 Some Basic Rules

Every day we receive around 100 submissions. While many are stellar, a few miss the mark. Here are the primary reasons a list might be rejected:

• English quality: The prose isn’t up to standard (or is downright absent). This is the top cause for rejections. We don’t expect a PhD in English, but we do expect you to write like a native speaker. Over 70 % of rejections stem from this.
• Duplicate content: The topic has already been covered by us or another site. Originality is key; we want fresh angles, not re‑hashed versions of existing lists.
• Off‑brand topics: Some submissions veer far from our niche—like “Why You Should Become a Vegan” (hint: you shouldn’t!), “How Yoga Improves Mental Health,” or “My Ten Favorite Shirts.” Those simply don’t align with our audience.

4 No Funny Business

You’ve got a witty side, we can see that. But remember, our platform craves facts, not jokes. There’s a fine line between originality and shoe‑horning a gag just for laughs. A sprinkle of humor can keep the prose from getting too dry, but the priority is clear, easy‑to‑understand information. Readers expect solid knowledge, and we work daily to deliver that.

If you absolutely must inject humor, do it by presenting the information itself in a light‑hearted way, not by tacking on extra punchlines. I’ve made my share of cringe‑worthy jokes, and trust me, what sounds hilarious in your head often makes you wince when it lands online. Look at our “condoms” list for an example of humor done right—subtle double entendres that earn a quiet chuckle. Ultimately, we want readers to remember the knowledge, not the jokes. A good rule of thumb: if you’re unsure about a joke, leave it out.

3 Proofread Everything

Your list doesn’t need to be flawless, and we don’t expect you to Vonnegut every paragraph. Very few lists are ready for publishing straight out of the acceptance gate. We have editors, and they’re pretty good, but a cleanly submitted list speeds up the process. A single read‑through after finishing can reveal typos, repeated words, or other small hiccups that a spell‑checker might miss.

If you catch most of the errors yourself, editors will have less to fix, and the whole workflow becomes smoother. Plus, wouldn’t you be proud to see your work polished and ready for the audience? Following these steps turns you into a bona‑fide professional writer. Head over to the submission page, fill in your PayPal or Bitcoin address, and you’ll see that hundred‑dollar check land in your account.

Take a deep breath… and keep writing forever, because that’s how you stay alive—as a writer, you dog, you.

2 Hit The Forum

You’ve done it. You’ve written, submitted, and published a list on the front page of our site. Your pocket’s burning with that hot Benjamin we Paypalled straight into your account, and the world feels like a shimmering oyster through which your newly awakened writerly eyes can see all the layers of possibility that make up reality. Sugar never tasted so good.

So, what’s next? If you’re eager, hop right back on that horse and write another list. There’s no cap on how many lists you can produce, nor on how much you can earn. If you felt that unmistakable tingle of exhilaration when your first list went live, you’re definitely in the right place. The tingle never dies.

After your first publication, you’ll receive an email granting you access to our exclusive forum. This is where writers and editors mingle, toss around ideas, and get to know each other. It’s a magical space, filled with helpful writers who understand the trials and pitfalls of list‑writing. No one will down‑talk you or call your ideas stupid; we’re all in the same boat, floating down the same river.

Even better, there’s a section we call “World of Ideas.” If an editor or writer spots a super‑cool tidbit but lacks time to develop it, they drop it there for anyone to claim. Think of it as an idea factory. You can also pitch ideas directly to Micah, our Head Honcho of Words, who offers personalized feedback and either a green light or constructive critique.

Stay connected via our Facebook page and Twitter account to see your list broadcast to 150,000 people—a sight as awe‑inspiring as a whale breaching an avalanche.

1 Forget All My Advice

In the end, you’re the writer. While we provide a handful of basic rules, we also crave your unique voice and angle. That’s what makes our platform so diverse: the many talented writers we collaborate with. Without fresh, creative ideas from creative people, we couldn’t publish new, interesting lists every day.

The process I’ve outlined is a solid launching pad, but now I want you to take those pieces, let them tumble around in your head, and then stack them into something new and beautiful. I’m just one little guy who writes here; use my method as a guide, but don’t treat it as canon. Every element I’ve mentioned can be tweaked to suit your style.

Can’t get into the habit of outlining? That’s fine—just focus on one entry at a time and let your list evolve organically. Write as you research each point if you prefer. The goal is to discover a workflow that works for you, and only you can figure out what that is.

For more tips from another seasoned author, check out Morris M.’s list on “10 Tips for Getting Paid to Write for Us.”

Most of us saw the July 2021 headlines screaming about Google’s claim of a time crystal inside a quantum computer, and how that might be the biggest physics breakthrough ever. We tried to read the articles, only to be hit with mind‑bending terms like qubits, eigenstate, and periodicity, which promptly sent many of us scrolling back to Instagram. 10 easy steps can help you break down this bewildering subject into bite‑size pieces, making the whole thing a little less intimidating.

10 Easy Steps Overview

This guide walks you through ten distinct checkpoints, each shedding light on a different facet of time crystals—from the original theoretical spark to the futuristic applications that could reshape computing.

10 A Physicist With a Dream and a Catchy Phrase

First introduced in 2012 by Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek, Professor of Physics at MIT, time crystals were proposed as a theoretical phase of matter which would display temporal periodicity. Items with periodicity have qualities that recur at intervals, and crystals (think snowflakes) have patterns that repeat in the 3D world, an example of periodicity in space. Wilczek theorized that, through the use of condensed matter devices capable of observing incredibly small things, he could detect patterns in particles that likewise repeat in the dimension of time. (At this point, most people are already confused, so if that’s how you feel, you’re right where you should be.)

When liquids freeze, the molecules within draw closer to each other in a stable arrangement known as their lowest energy state. Thus water droplets in the sky turn to snowflakes when the temp drops, the hydrogen and oxygen molecules reaching out and forming a hexagonal, crystalline structure for reasons not entirely understood. This is an example of spontaneous symmetry breaking—a term that can be confusing as part of the beauty of a snowflake crystal is the symmetry of the six arms or branches forming its structure. How then might it be breaking symmetry? What gives?

Water has a certain symmetry in that it looks and feels the same all throughout; the molecules are arranged consistently. But as a snowflake forms, its molecular structure feels compelled to break that symmetry by forming six branches from a central prism. Wilczek proposed that during a quantum‑mechanical system’s lowest energy state, known as time translational symmetry, might also be broken in the generally intangible 4th dimension. Thus, this would produce an observable time crystal, similar to how snowflakes and other 3D crystals (quartz, diamonds, etc.) break spatial translational symmetry.

If all of this sounds like convoluted poppycock, join the academic club. Wilczek’s colleagues had a hard time understanding the concept in its entirety. They discredited his working model, and though his research inspired further debate, they felt he was barking up the wrong side of a very obscure tree. But there was something about that term—time crystal—that seemed to perk up many a collegiate conversation. The name just sounded much too cool not to get repeated within the confines of university lunchrooms, right along with terms such as “black hole,” “dark matter,” and “Comic‑Con.” This interest helped keep Wilczek’s theory under ongoing discussion.

A good campaign always starts with a strong slogan…

9 Setting Down Some Ground Rules

During the first four years after Wilczek’s paper was published, not only was his working model discounted, but the entire concept of time crystals was also declared absolutely impossible by researchers at both the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, and the University of Tokyo. Of course, almost immediately following those negative declarations, other researchers started looking for exceptions to the established rule that might just work after all.

The concept of discrete time crystals spread throughout the world of quantum physics—the word “discrete” denoting a distinct form of symmetry breaking away from the backdrop of a continuous symmetry. Snowflakes are, again, a good example of this. As they form in the cold air, the delicate branches that grow have a symmetry all their own, distinct by contrast to the smoothness of liquid water.

Discrete time crystals were thus theorized to have the capability of breaking time translational symmetry, at least when being zapped by a laser or other driving force. And such particles should attain a spin periodicity all their own that repeats in multiples of the periodicity of that driving force. Sound confusing yet? Even to fellow physicists, this gets quite confusing to the point that it makes Newtonian physics seem like an easy read. So to better understand discrete time crystals, a couple of ground rules had to be established:

The first criterion states that the crystal must be robust, which basically means it must be strong enough to maintain its current state despite external fluctuations within a specific range—much like a snowflake crystal remains in its current physical state despite minor temperature changes that might occur below 0 °C (32 °F). Likewise, a true time crystal holds its own in the wilderness of quantum disruption.

The second rule demands that a discrete time crystal must be immune to the thermal energy of the drive inducing its current quantum state. Basically, it’s not allowed to heat up. The way to do that is through what’s known as many‑body localization, or MBL, which provides just enough disorder within the system to allow destructive interference or the act of opposing waves canceling each other out. This keeps the crystal from growing hot and losing stability.

So…with the concept of time crystals significantly revamped, it was time to give it all another try. And there were plenty of eager scientists ready to take that challenge!

8 Approaching Time Crystals from a Different Angle

In 2016, two very important experiments were conducted using this new concept. First, the University of Maryland’s Dr. Christopher Monroe claimed success in creating the very first glimpse of a discrete time crystal. Monroe’s team trapped a chain of ytterbium‑171 ions within radio‑frequency electromagnetic fields, manipulating and observing their spin states as they pummeled the little guys with lasers.

This caused them to oscillate with an integer multiple of the periodicity of the drive—a dance all their own and a sure sign that a discrete time crystal had been achieved. A good visual for this phenomenon might be a serving of Jell‑O jiggling with a frequency all its own, despite how you might wiggle the plate to the contrary. The time crystal developed a stable and robust subharmonic oscillation which held true even when otherwise perturbed and poked, up until its frequency grew too strong to maintain, causing it to “melt” on a quantum level.

That same year, over at Harvard, a team led by Professor Mikhail Lukin had similar results using a diamond flawed with nitrogen‑vacancy centers (a common impurity). However, they utilized a microwave drive rather than a laser to induce coupled electron spins. Time crystals have also been defined theoretically or detected by observation in several other separate experiments. Researchers have even found hints of them occurring naturally within the monoammonium phosphate crystals commonly grown by kids in science class.

But these experiments and conclusions were met with skepticism despite their claims of success. Many scientists decided they needed a better method of confirming the existence of time crystals. Thus they turned to another novelty in the field of higher physics, quantum computing, to better understand breaking the symmetry of time.

7 What’s So Special About Time?

Before we can fully understand time crystals or the fascination scientists have with them, we first need to understand how elusive and intangible the so‑called 4th dimension actually is, despite the fact we literally exist in and travel through it each and every moment of our lives. Physicists have a hard time grasping the flow of time—both literally and figuratively. As long as the numbers on the blackboard add up, they just take it for granted like anyone else. However, many of them question time’s standing as an actual dimension, as it certainly doesn’t act at all like the first three. A person can stand motionless within the 3D world of ours (at least relative to the ground beneath his feet), but just try standing motionless in time. Many people have tried; all have failed.

Back in the 4th century, the philosopher Aristotle tried his best to understand time. He took a grim note on the subject when he wrote, “Time crumbles things; everything grows old under the power of Time and is forgotten through the lapse of Time.” This seems to be a very early commentary on the topic of entropy. And thirteen centuries later, physicist/astronomer Sir Isaac Newton theorized that “absolute time” is only evident in mathematics. What we as humans perceive is “relative time,” measurable by the movement of objects such as the sun or the moon.

Of course, Albert Einstein popularized the concept of spacetime in his theory of relativity, tying the three spatial dimensions and time into a four‑dimensional manifold. He also described how gravity could curve time, a theory that holds true as evidenced by our GPS satellites. At the altitude of 20,200 kilometers (10,900 nautical miles), gravity is four times weaker. Therefore, the clocks in space run 45 microseconds faster each day than clocks on Earth. This is offset by another law of relativity which states that clocks moving very fast run slower than stationary ones, accounting for those same satellite clocks to run seven microseconds slower. After taking both factors into account, they run about 38 millionths of a second faster each day than the clocks down here. If not for computerized compensation, this small disparity would result in GPS malfunction in just two minutes.

So fine—the math on the blackboard all adds up, and we know how to use it, but how do we actually touch time? How can we step aside from it to better examine it? How can we touch it or even feel it other than through the fleeting and ephemeral sense of “now”? Well, in Stuttgart, Germany, scientists might have actually caught visual evidence of time on video!

6 Caught Carousing on Camera

Well, 2021 was certainly a busy and enterprising year in the development of time crystals. As a matter of fact, in February, one of them was actually captured on video at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart. A German‑Polish team of researchers nuked a magnetic strip with a microwave field to create an oscillating micrometer‑sized time crystal from magnons orderly arranged in a row. Magnons are quasiparticles (if that helps any). They danced back and forth in perfect rhythm, disappearing and reappearing in their own quantum choreography.

The crystal also welcomed other magnons into the club when they were introduced. In unison, they skipped back and forth with precise periodicity between two separate physical states. The creation of this time crystal was significantly groundbreaking, and the video, taken with an X‑ray microscope, is astounding once you know exactly what you’re watching. The crystal was also unique in its relatively large size and that it existed at room temperature (and not in a super‑cooled environment). Its conception also suggests that time crystals are both more widespread and robust than initially thought.

But that wasn’t the only contribution in the study of time crystals from the Max Planck Society in 2021. The director of their Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dr. Roderich Moessner, was part of the team of university physicists working with Google to build the first time crystal with a quantum computer. And really, one could hardly find a more fitting venue with which to cook one of the little quantum buggers up.

5 What Exactly Is a Quantum Computer?

Many people confuse quantum computing with supercomputers, which are really just mainframes with ultra‑powerful performance. While classical, or binary, computing relies on bits to store information in values of either 0 or 1, quantum computers rely on qubits (quantum bits). These can represent the values of 0, 1, or both simultaneously in a state called superposition, up until an outcome is determined. Interaction between two or more qubits is called entanglement. When information is stored in superposition, computations run exponentially faster per number of qubits.

So, what are qubits made of? Well…you can’t exactly buy them at Best Buy. Google’s highly publicized Sycamore processor quantum computer held 54 superconducting transom qubits (only 53 of which were functional) made of aluminum plates about 100 microns across, the width of several hairs. We are truly talking information processing on an infinitesimal scale. And what does the actual gizmo look like?

The Sycamore is an elaborate cluster of lights and filaments surrounded by swarms of braided wire, all hanging upside down within the confines of a cryostat, as extremely low temps are needed to keep the qubits working correctly on a quantum level. This is all contained within a casing resembling a giant tin can, with peripheral controls and equipment filling an entire room. As a result, Google’s Sycamore will never run the risk of being confused with one of their much more totable Chromebooks.

Not all quantum computers look alike, as many different companies make them, and they’re built with specific projects in mind. However, they’re capable of amazingly fast deduction. In October 2019, Google claimed “quantum supremacy” over supercomputers when their Sycamore solved a random number problem in 3 minutes and 20 seconds—a feat that would have taken the IBM Summit about 10,000 years. In response, IBM quickly fashioned an algorithm that significantly narrowed the gap. Still, the Sycamore took the prize. But watch out Google, for IBM is planning to build a quantum computer with a 1,121‑qubit Condor chip by 2023. And both companies have plans to build processors with 1 million qubits by 2030, which would make the Sycamore, with 54 qubits (1 broken), seem as antiquated as a dial‑up internet connection.

But how do these things think? Quantum computers deal with possibilities and probabilities, whereas traditional computing employs transistors to crunch through inflexible operations. Imagine a massive, intricate maze between starting point A and end point B. Classical computing would eventually navigate through the maze to point B successfully by trial and error. However, quantum computing would look at all possibilities simultaneously before narrowing in on the correct answer in much less time. And clearly, that’s a more efficient way of thinking.

But other than racing against traditional computers and inspiring prospective, future research projects, quantum computing hadn’t really done much to prove itself as a necessary part of scientific research, at least up until talk began about using Google’s Sycamore to create a time crystal. And Google was more than happy to show off its quantum wonder once again…

4 Diamond‑Studded Qubits

It seems, however, that the Google team wasn’t actually the first to create a time crystal using qubits and a quantum computer. An institute in the Netherlands called QuTech announced their success in March of 2021, using nuclear spins in a diamond to demonstrate their “new state of matter.” Their crystal only existed for about eight seconds before starting to decay through environmental interactions. However, in a perfectly isolated system, it could have spun to its heart’s content forever.

QuTech collaborated with Element Six, an industrial artificial diamond provider, and UC Berkeley to create their baby from just nine qubits. Though they worked independently from the Google team, both projects were simultaneously active. Their experiment was also a good representation of just how diverse and individual quantum computers are in both design and implementation.

3 Google’s Turn at Temporal‑Symmetry Breaking

Google’s success at creating a discrete time crystal in the summer of 2021 was much more publicized than the QuTech experiment because, well…Google is Google, a mega‑powerful, multinational tech company with a recognizable color scheme we all see each day. But the academic power of the collaborating dream team also carried a lot of clout. We’re talking, for starters, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems, Stanford University, Oxford University, and, of course, the Google Quantum AI Lab, which is partnered with NASA.

This collaboration brought along mixed aspirations for their experiment other than just making a time crystal. The visiting physicists were also eager to see what Google’s Sycamore could offer them for future research projects exploring condensed matter physics, which is basically the study of the electromagnetic forces between atoms of liquids and solids. And Google was more than happy to utilize the experimental nature of their quantum computer beyond mere calculations, as they hadn’t really done a heck of a lot with it other than showing up IBM two years prior.

The team’s time crystal, made from 20 qubits, existed for only eight‑tenths of a second. However, during that time, the computer observed over a million individual quantum states of their creation, even running it forward and backward through time (fascinating in itself), all to ensure that it showed indefinite oscillations in each. But while the crystal seemed to be perfect, its environment was not. And much like the one concocted at QuTech, it decayed due to interference. While it was active, however, it met all the criteria mentioned earlier to make the cut as a genuine discrete time crystal!

Google, of course, got most of the headlines and attention from the press for creating a new phase of matter. The scores of academics involved in the project were mighty proud to have their names on the article, which appeared in the November 30th issue of the science journal Nature. Beyond that, both teams at Google and QuTech showed the almost limitless possibilities of exploring theoretical physics one day soon through a next generation of quantum computers. And these have already proven they’re capable of doing more than just crunching numbers and navigating through mazes.

2 So…Did We Break the Laws of Thermodynamics or Not?

After the Google team announced the creation of their time, crystal sensationalist news headlines popped up, many of them declaring a breach in the laws of thermodynamics and a breakthrough in perpetual motion. These are monumental claims that go against the basic, empirical concept of physics. And they would be absolutely astounding if they were true. But they’re not.

The first and second laws of thermodynamics have been firmly established within the scientific community since the mid‑19th century. The first deals with the conservation of energy, which cannot be created or destroyed within a closed system, neither one as small as at the molecular level nor as large as the universe itself. The second deals with the unavoidable concept of entropy and cautions that the energy in a closed system will eventually revert to uniform disorder.

Both of these laws prove the impossibility of a perpetual motion machine, as the energy used to charge the device would at least be converted to heat through friction. The orbital patterns of the planets in our solar system are often thought of as having perpetual motion. But because of an infinitesimally small loss of energy through gravitational waves, they are actually slowly spiraling in toward the sun. (We should take comfort, however, in the fact that the sun will more likely explode into a red giant star and expand to meet us far sooner than the Earth will descend to meet it!)

Time crystals, however, appear to break the laws of thermodynamics just like they break time‑translational symmetry, as they can cycle between two states forever without losing energy. But they do not actually exist contrary to any existing law of physics, despite their novelty and uniqueness. For one thing, the laws of thermodynamics do not really pertain on a quantum level. In this case, the overall system, including the influence of the drive, conserves energy as it should, making the time crystal itself an individualized “loophole” of sorts. In other words, time crystals can suspend the laws of thermodynamics indefinitely without ever actually breaking them. And that sure sounds like a loophole!

But loopholes are often beneficial for those who know how to make good use of them. For example, people often jump for joy at tax loopholes that save them money or legal loopholes which keep them out of jail. So how might we advantageously harness this quantum loophole we know as time crystals?

1 What Can We Do with These Things Anyhow?

The bad news about the perpetual motion aspect of time crystals is that they’re probably useless, as the crystals are in their ground state—the state of least possible energy. It would be like putting dead batteries in a flashlight. And being made from particles in a quantum state, they’re not the kind of crystals you can wear about your neck. Neither are they pretty or shiny, and good luck even seeing one in person under current technology. Even though they can theoretically last forever, let us remind ourselves that Google’s time crystal endured for only eight‑tenths of a second.

But let’s explore that for a moment, as there’s a vast difference between forever and eight‑tenths of a second. Technically, the time crystal Google created was strong and robust and would have theoretically gone on cycling back and forth forever. However, the Sycamore chip itself was faulty and limited, as they all are. Furthermore, their crystal was made from qubits, which are vulnerable to interference from their environment—a condition called decoherence. Researchers are trying to improve the efficiency of quantum computers by better isolating the processors. Surprisingly, the answer to their problem might be in time crystals themselves…

Imagine a quantum computer powered by time crystals, which exist and fluctuate without burning energy, thus not falling victim to entropy (a random decline into disorder) like the rest of the darn universe. As mentioned above, the qubits that currently run quantum computers are fragile and easily suffer from decoherence, which basically leads to entropy in their entanglement. However, using highly stable time crystals instead would provide entanglement without entropy. Imagine the efficiency of next‑generation quantum computing based on time crystals and, with enhanced predictability, the mysteries of our universe they might uncover. Imagine advances in chemistry to cure cancer, warp drives that propel us to distant stars, and energy sources not reliant on fossil fuels.

Imagine a whole new world of computing, and it’s coming real, real soon!