The study, published in *Physical Review Research*, utilized atoms chilled to barely above absolute zero and partitioned by two laser beams into observed bright and unobserved dark zones. As the bright region expanded and contracted in a cycle mirroring cosmic expansion and collapse, particles transferred freely between the two areas. By measuring entropy and atom distribution rather than relying on external seconds, researchers observed an unfolding sequence of events. The results demonstrate that the passage of time can be reconstructed entirely through internal interactions within an isolated quantum environment.
Key points
The findings offer experimental validation for theoretical frameworks like the Wheeler-De…: The findings offer experimental validation for theoretical frameworks like the Wheeler-DeWitt equation that lack a temporal variable.
Internal particle distributions and entropy changes can mark chronological progress witho…: Internal particle distributions and entropy changes can mark chronological progress without relying on an external timekeeper.
Measurable sequences of events naturally unfold purely through the internal physical rela…: Measurable sequences of events naturally unfold purely through the internal physical relationships of matter in closed systems.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Date:
- October 30, 2026
- Source:
- University of Birmingham
- Summary:
- Scientists have created a miniature universe in the laboratory that could help answer one of the biggest mysteries in physics: What is time, and where does it come from? Using 24,000 ultracold atoms, a University of Birmingham researcher built an isolated quantum system that repeatedly expands and contracts, mimicking the Big Bang and a possible Big Crunch. Remarkably, the experiment showed that time could emerge from changes happening inside the system, without relying on an external clock.
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What if time is not a fundamental part of the universe, but something that emerges from the changes taking place inside it? A physicist at the University of Birmingham has created a miniature universe in the laboratory that offers a surprising new way to investigate this possibility.
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