<p>A physicist saw time emerge entirely from an isolated system, a mini-universe he created. Giovanni Barontini detailed his experiment in a study published June 11 in the journal Physical Review Research. He aimed to answer the age-old question of where time comes from. Some theories suggest that the universe as a whole is static, and time shouldn't exist at all. Nothing on the outside is affecting it, so how do we experience time? The experimental physicist at the University of Birmingham set out to understand this “problem of time.”</p><h2><strong>Quantum mini-universe</strong></h2><p>He tested the idea that time isn't an ingredient of reality, but is the result of how different things inside the universe interact with each other. To test how time could naturally appear without an outside clock, Barontini created his own mini universe in the lab. He used a Bose-Einstein condensate—a unique state of matter that only forms near absolute zero. In these extremely cold conditions, thousands of individual atoms slowed down to a near standstill and behaved as a single quantum “super-particle.”</p><h2><strong>Simulating Big Bang and Big Crunch</strong></h2><p>To create the mini universe, the physicist placed the condensate in a trap. He divided it down the middle with a thin sheet of laser light and observed only one half, which he called the "bright sector." Barontini ignored the other part, deliberately deciding not to see it. He noticed that the atoms naturally flowed back and forth across the barrier and occasionally spilt over the barrier. He called the moment they flooded the bright region, the Big Bang, and the Big Crunch, when they flowed back out.</p><p>Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/why-has-the-large-hadron-collider-shut-down-when-will-it-restart-1782998621124"><strong>Why has the Large Hadron Collider shut down? When will it restart and other details</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Entropic time</strong></h2><p>Instead of using any external laboratory clocks to track the experiment, Barontini wanted to see whether the mini-universe could keep track of its own time. &nbsp;He built an "entropic time" — a clock that measures the disorder or randomness in a system. In this case, it was defined by how much entropy was flowing between the two halves of the system. By tracking this internal change, the physicists could perfectly order the sequence of events without an outside clock.</p><p>Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/new-theory-suggests-billions-of-mini-universes-could-be-scattered-in-our-own-cosmos-1781512244963"><strong>New theory suggests billions of 'mini universes' could be scattered in our own cosmos</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Time stood still</strong></h2><p>Barontini even saw time speed up, slow down and stop completely. When atoms were moving rapidly across the barrier, time "sped up." When the flow slowed down, time "slowed down." If the atoms stopped moving and became completely still, time effectively stopped. "Time was speeding up or slowing down, or even stopping, depending on what the system was doing," Barontini told Live Science.</p><h2><strong>Time, the ultimate illusion</strong></h2><p>He also found that both time itself and its one-way forward direction might stem from the same source: an observer choosing to ignore information. When he deliberately chose not to look at the dark region, Barontini gave up knowledge about that half of the system. This ignorance, measured as entropy, is precisely what created the flow of time in the observable half.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The experiment is the first to successfully generate and control a "sense of time" entirely from inside an isolated system. It proves that time is not necessarily a hard-coded rule of the cosmos. It is an illusion that "emerges" from the internal interactions and changing disorder of matter.</p>

Time is not a physical entity but develops from the relationship between what lies in the universe. A physicist created a mini-universe and saw time emerge in front of him. The experiment proves that time is not a physical rule of the cosmos.   

A physicist saw time emerge entirely from an isolated system, a mini-universe he created. Giovanni Barontini detailed his experiment in a study published June 11 in the journal Physical Review Research. He aimed to answer the age-old question of where time comes from. Some theories suggest that the universe as a whole is static, and time shouldn't exist at all. Nothing on the outside is affecting it, so how do we experience time? The experimental physicist at the University of Birmingham set out to understand this “problem of time.” Quantum mini-universe He tested the idea that time isn't an ingredient of reality, but is the result of how different things inside the universe interact with each other. To test how time could naturally appear without an outside clock, Barontini created his own mini universe in the lab. He used a Bose-Einstein condensate—a unique state of matter that only forms near absolute zero. In these extremely cold conditions, thousands of individual atoms slowed down to a near standstill and behaved as a single quantum “super-particle.” Simulating Big Bang and Big Crunch To create the mini universe, the physicist placed the condensate in a trap. He divided it down the middle with a thin sheet of laser light and observed only one half, which he called the "bright sector." Barontini ignored the other part, deliberately deciding not to see it. He noticed that the atoms naturally flowed back and forth across the barrier and occasionally spilt over the barrier. He called the moment they flooded the bright region, the Big Bang, and the Big Crunch, when they flowed back out. Also Read: Why has the Large Hadron Collider shut down? When will it restart and other details Entropic time Instead of using any external laboratory clocks to track the experiment, Barontini wanted to see whether the mini-universe could keep track of its own time. He built an "entropic time" — a clock that measures the disorder or randomness in a system. In this case, it was defined by how much entropy was flowing between the two halves of the system. By tracking this internal change, the physicists could perfectly order the sequence of events without an outside clock. Also Read: New theory suggests billions of 'mini universes' could be scattered in our own cosmos Time stood still Barontini even saw time speed up, slow down and stop completely. When atoms were moving rapidly across the barrier, time "sped up." When the flow slowed down, time "slowed down." If the atoms stopped moving and became completely still, time effectively stopped. "Time was speeding up or slowing down, or even stopping, depending on what the system was doing," Barontini told Live Science. Time, the ultimate illusion He also found that both time itself and its one-way forward direction might stem from the same source: an observer choosing to ignore information. When he deliberately chose not to look at the dark region, Barontini gave up knowledge about that half of the system. This ignorance, measured as entropy, is precisely what created the flow of time in the observable half. The experiment is the first to successfully generate and control a "sense of time" entirely from inside an isolated system. It proves that time is not necessarily a hard-coded rule of the cosmos. It is an illusion that "emerges" from the internal interactions and changing disorder of matter.

<p>Time is not a physical entity but develops from the relationship between what lies in the universe. A physicist created a mini-universe and saw time emerge in front of him. The experiment proves that time is not a physical rule of the cosmos. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

Physicist creates 'mini-universe' in lab and proves time is an illusion

<p>Scientists at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Heidelberg University have discovered a hypothesis indicating two major perspectives in modern quantum physics focusing on how a single unusual particle acts inside a multi-level body system filled with fermions, referred to as a Fermi sea.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>This new hypothesis describes how quasiparticles come to light, connecting two quantum states that were earlier considered as separate. Following the discovery, the Heidelberg team confirmed that this unified approach will lead current experiments in quantum matter.</p><h3>About the Quasiparticle Model and the Fermi Polaron</h3><p>Physicists have earlier debated about exotic electrons or atoms interacting with large numbers of surrounding particles. In terms of the Quasiparticle Model, a single particle travels through a sea of fermions, which include electrons, protons, or neutrons, and interacts persistently with its neighbours, according to a report in the SciTech daily.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>When the particles travel, they attract neighbouring particles surrounded with it, forming an entity identified as a Fermi polaron. In fact, it reflects the coordinated motion of the impurity and the particles near it. A doctoral candidate at Heidelberg University’s Institute for Theoretical Physics, Eugen Dizer, explained that this idea has become vital for strongly interacting systems that range from ultracold atomic gases to solid materials and even nuclear matter.</p><h3>Impurity reshapes the many-body system</h3><p>A contrasting scenario is the so-called Anderson orthogonality catastrophe, which arises when an impurity is so massive that it effectively becomes stationary. The mere presence of such an impurity drastically reshapes the many-body system, causing the surrounding fermions’ wave functions to change entirely. Their original structure breaks down, leading to a complex background that disrupts collective motion and suppresses the formation of quasiparticles.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>For many years, physicists lacked a unified theory capable of connecting this static limit with models describing mobile quasiparticles. Using a combination of analytical methods, researchers in Heidelberg have now succeeded in unifying these two pictures within a single theoretical framework.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>“The theoretical framework we developed explains how quasiparticles emerge in systems with an extremely heavy impurity, connecting two paradigms that have long been treated separately,” said Eugen Dizer, a member of the Quantum Matter Theory group led by Prof. Dr Richard Schmidt.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>One of the key insights of the new theory is that even extremely heavy impurities are never completely immobile. As the surrounding medium reorganises itself, these particles experience minute motions. These subtle shifts open an energy gap that makes quasiparticle formation possible, even in a strongly correlated and complex environment. The study further shows that this mechanism naturally explains the transition from polaron-like quantum states to molecular quantum states.</p>

In terms of the Quasiparticle Model, a single particle travels through a sea of fermions, which include electrons, protons, or neutrons, and interacts persistently with its neighbours. 

Scientists at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Heidelberg University have discovered a hypothesis indicating two major perspectives in modern quantum physics focusing on how a single unusual particle acts inside a multi-level body system filled with fermions, referred to as a Fermi sea. This new hypothesis describes how quasiparticles come to light, connecting two quantum states that were earlier considered as separate. Following the discovery, the Heidelberg team confirmed that this unified approach will lead current experiments in quantum matter. About the Quasiparticle Model and the Fermi Polaron Physicists have earlier debated about exotic electrons or atoms interacting with large numbers of surrounding particles. In terms of the Quasiparticle Model, a single particle travels through a sea of fermions, which include electrons, protons, or neutrons, and interacts persistently with its neighbours, according to a report in the SciTech daily. When the particles travel, they attract neighbouring particles surrounded with it, forming an entity identified as a Fermi polaron. In fact, it reflects the coordinated motion of the impurity and the particles near it. A doctoral candidate at Heidelberg University’s Institute for Theoretical Physics, Eugen Dizer, explained that this idea has become vital for strongly interacting systems that range from ultracold atomic gases to solid materials and even nuclear matter. Impurity reshapes the many-body system A contrasting scenario is the so-called Anderson orthogonality catastrophe, which arises when an impurity is so massive that it effectively becomes stationary. The mere presence of such an impurity drastically reshapes the many-body system, causing the surrounding fermions’ wave functions to change entirely. Their original structure breaks down, leading to a complex background that disrupts collective motion and suppresses the formation of quasiparticles. For many years, physicists lacked a unified theory capable of connecting this static limit with models describing mobile quasiparticles. Using a combination of analytical methods, researchers in Heidelberg have now succeeded in unifying these two pictures within a single theoretical framework. “The theoretical framework we developed explains how quasiparticles emerge in systems with an extremely heavy impurity, connecting two paradigms that have long been treated separately,” said Eugen Dizer, a member of the Quantum Matter Theory group led by Prof. Dr Richard Schmidt. One of the key insights of the new theory is that even extremely heavy impurities are never completely immobile. As the surrounding medium reorganises itself, these particles experience minute motions. These subtle shifts open an energy gap that makes quasiparticle formation possible, even in a strongly correlated and complex environment. The study further shows that this mechanism naturally explains the transition from polaron-like quantum states to molecular quantum states.

<p>In terms of the Quasiparticle Model, a single particle travels through a sea of fermions, which include electrons, protons, or neutrons, and interacts persistently with its neighbours.&nbsp;</p>

Connecting two opposite realities: How one heavy particle can reshape an entire Quantum world

modern-quantum-physics

Modern Quantum Physics, News on Modern Quantum Physics, stories on Modern Quantum Physics, articles on Modern Quantum Physics, Modern Quantum Physics stories at Wion, Modern Quantum Physics news, Modern Quantum Physics latest news

modern quantum-physics

Physicist creates 'mini-universe' in lab and proves time is an illusion

Connecting opposite realities: How one heavy particle can reshape Quantum world