Photonic Time Crystal Enhances Light Amplification

Physicists have created a 2D photonic time crystal that amplifies light at microwave frequencies, which could have applications in technologies like transmitters and lasers. Unlike time crystals, photonic time crystals are artificial materials not found in nature and are not necessarily suspended in quantum states. The crystal could be used to improve wireless signals by coating devices in 2D photonic time crystals, making signal strengths more robust. The crystal only amplifies microwave frequencies, but a slight tweak in the design could allow it to work in millimeter-wave frequencies, like those used in 5G communications.