time crystal

Meaning

Noun

• A periodic biological system.
• A crystal that has a structure that repeats not only in space, but also in time.

Origin

• Coined by American biologist Arthur Winfree in 2001. An analogue to crystals, which have repetitive patterns in space.
• Coined by American physicist Frank Wilczek in 2012. An extension of the concept of a crystal to encompass time.