Q: What might the Creator use this for? It's mindboggling....
"The notion of “negative time” arises from how photons interact with atoms in a dielectric medium.
"The notion of “negative time” arises from how photons interact with atoms in a dielectric medium.
When light passes through such a material, some photons are absorbed by the atoms and later re-emitted. This interaction creates a temporary “excited” state in the atoms.
--Conventional understanding assumed that photons followed a fixed timeline for absorption and re-emission.
--Conventional understanding assumed that photons followed a fixed timeline for absorption and re-emission.
--However, Steinberg’s team demonstrated that these durations can be less than zero, a result they describe as “negative time.”
To illustrate this concept, imagine cars entering a tunnel: if the average entry time for a thousand cars is noon, it might seem odd to observe the first cars exiting slightly earlier, say at 11:59 a.m. While earlier interpretations dismissed such results as artifacts of measurement, the Toronto researchers treated them as significant.
Their work suggests that these counterintuitive timings stem from
quantum mechanics—a field known for its probabilistic and non-intuitive nature.
Their calculations revealed that the time a photon spends as an atomic excitation aligns with the group delay, even when this delay becomes negative. In classical terms, such a delay would be impossible. However, quantum mechanics allows for these anomalous results, which are deeply tied to the probabilistic nature of particle interactions.
In the latest study, the researchers extended these insights, demonstrating that negative group delays are not just mathematical curiosities but observable phenomena. Their experiments also showed that photons carried no information in this process, preserving the integrity of Einstein’s theory of special relativity. This ensures that no physical laws—such as the cosmic speed limit—are violated.
Steinberg emphasizes that the concept of “negative time” does not imply time travel. “We don’t want to say anything traveled backward in time,” he clarified.
To illustrate this concept, imagine cars entering a tunnel: if the average entry time for a thousand cars is noon, it might seem odd to observe the first cars exiting slightly earlier, say at 11:59 a.m. While earlier interpretations dismissed such results as artifacts of measurement, the Toronto researchers treated them as significant.
Their work suggests that these counterintuitive timings stem from
Their calculations revealed that the time a photon spends as an atomic excitation aligns with the group delay, even when this delay becomes negative. In classical terms, such a delay would be impossible. However, quantum mechanics allows for these anomalous results, which are deeply tied to the probabilistic nature of particle interactions.
In the latest study, the researchers extended these insights, demonstrating that negative group delays are not just mathematical curiosities but observable phenomena. Their experiments also showed that photons carried no information in this process, preserving the integrity of Einstein’s theory of special relativity. This ensures that no physical laws—such as the cosmic speed limit—are violated.
Steinberg emphasizes that the concept of “negative time” does not imply time travel. “We don’t want to say anything traveled backward in time,” he clarified.
Instead, these results illuminate the complex and sometimes counterintuitive dynamics of quantum systems, where particles do not adhere to fixed timelines but operate within a spectrum of possible behaviors."
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