The passage of time, with which we are so accustomed, may turn out to be a massive illusion. Modern research suggests that time is not a fundamental component of reality, but rather arises as a side effect of quantum interactions between different parts of the universe. A recently developed simplified model of the cosmos has provided physicists with new insights into the nature of time in our real world.
The idea for this unusual experiment came to Giovanni Barontini, a physicist at the University of Birmingham. Watching his young son build his own toy world, the scientist noticed a striking resemblance to laboratory experiments. According to him, an isolated system is completely static and “boring”—nothing happens in it, and therefore time seems to stand still.
To test the hypothesis that time is an illusion, Barontini’s team used lasers and electromagnetic forces to cool about 20,000 rubidium atoms to extremely low temperatures, close to absolute zero. This laboratory “mini-universe” was artificially divided into two parts: a “light” sector and a “dark” sector (the latter symbolizing the mysterious dark matter).
From interaction to the birth of time
At the start of the experiment, the simulated universe was static and timeless. However, everything changed when the researchers introduced lasers, causing the sectors to exchange atoms. Quantum interaction began, leading to a change in entropy within the system. Since time in our universe always flows in the direction of increasing entropy, physicists were able to observe the emergence of “internal time” in their laboratory model.
Barontini went even further: he substituted the parameters of this newly defined time into the Schrödinger equation—the fundamental formula describing the evolution of quantum systems. The calculated quantum states of the atoms matched the actual experimental results perfectly.
A step towards quantum gravity
The concept of time as a consequence of quantum correlations is not new. It was first proposed by physicist Nevill Mott back in the 1930s, and in 2013, Marco Genovese’s team in Italy confirmed its feasibility for the first time during an experiment with entangled light particles. However, a system of cold atoms is much more complex, and it was Barontini who first succeeded in making the Schrödinger equation work with the internal time of such a system.
According to Claus Kiefer of the University of Cologne, such experiments are linked to a fundamental problem: how to unify gravity and quantum mechanics. Some scientists believe that, at the deepest fundamental level, time simply does not exist. At the same time, physicist Carlo Rovelli of Aix-Marseille University notes: although such simulations are based on physics we already know, they are a wonderful source of inspiration for finding approaches to the elusive theory of quantum gravity.
Black holes in miniature
The author of the study acknowledges that a laboratory model does not provide absolute proof that time behaves this way at all levels of the cosmos. Cosmologists who study the real universe may view such parallels with caution. Nevertheless, Barontini plans to continue studying his ultra-cold mini-universe. His next goal is to use lasers to create trap zones from which atoms cannot escape, simulating the processes near a black hole.
Earlier, we discussed how the era of the perfect 24-hour day came to an end on Earth, as well as how philosophers have called human consciousness into question.
According to newscientist.com
