Physicists created a tiny universe where time emerged without a clock

Physicists at the University of Birmingham have created a miniature universe using 24,000 ultracold atoms to study the emergence of time. Their experiment demonstrates that time can arise naturally from changes within a quantum system, rather than relying on an external clock. This challenges traditional notions of time as a fixed, pre-existing concept, suggesting instead that it may only exist when something is changing. The findings offer new insights into the fundamental nature of time and its relationship to quantum mechanics.

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