Researchers Use Photons To Simulate Time Travel

Researchers Use Photons To Simulate Time Travel

Aussie researchers have used photons which are single particles of light for the simulation of quantum particles which travel through time. University of Queensland researchers employed photons to simulate quantum particles which move through time and study behavior. This reveals the somewhat unusual aspects of modern physics.

Successful time travel involves an interface between 2 successful yet incompatible physical theories. This comprises Einstien's general relativity and quantum mechanics, according to lead author and PhD student Martin Ringbauer.

Einsten's theory has also viewed the world at the biggest scale of stars and galaxies whereas quantum mechanics is an awesome description of the globe at the small scale of atoms and molecules.

Einstein's theory indicates the possibility of travelling backwards in time is through the space-time path that comes back to the starting point in space yet at an earlier time which is a closed time-like curve.

This has puzzled physicists and philosophers since its discovery in the year 1949 by Kurt Godel as it leads to paradoxes in a classical world. This includes the famous “grandparent's paradox” where the time traveller could prevent his or her grandparents from meeting and prevent their own birth. The paradox is that this in itself would make it impossible for the time traveller to set out in the first place.

The Professor of physics at University of Queensland indicated that it was predicted in the year 1991 that time travel in the quantum world could avert such paradoxes.

The properties of quantum particles are fuzzy or uncertain to commence with so there is need for enough room to wiggle out and avoid inconsistent time travel. In a study conducted by the researchers, the team simulated the behavior of the single photon that travels through the wormhole to interact with the older self.

This was achieved through the use of mathematical equivalence between the two causes, commented Ringbauer to “The Speaker”. According to the first case, photon 1 travels through a wormhole in the past and then interacts with its older version.

In the second case, photon 2 travels through normal space-time yet interacts with another photon located within the CTC forever. Single photons are needed in order to do this but there was a simulation of time travel photon through this method, according to Ralph. This landmark research study was published in the journal Nature Communications.