Temporal polarization was a state into which chronitons could be shifted if exposed to a high amount of temporal energy. This occurred in 2371, when a microscopic singularity passing through the Sol system exploded, causing a temporal surge which shifted the chronitons lodged in the ablative armor matrix of the USS Defiant into a high state of temporal polarization. This caused a transporter beam passing through the polarized particles carrying Captain Benjamin Sisko, Lieutenant Jadzia Dax, and Doctor Julian Bashir, to be redirected through time to San Francisco, the year 2024. Later, Chief O'Brien and Major Kira were able to use the remaining polarized particles to rescue their stranded crewmates. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I", "Past Tense, Part II")