Scientists confirm “negative time” in quantum experiments

Los scientists They have long known that light sometimes appears to leave a material before entering it, an effect that is considered an illusion caused by the way matter distorts waves.

Now, researchers at the University of Toronto say they have shown, through groundbreaking quantum experiments, that “negative time” is not just a theoretical idea, but exists in a tangible physical sense that deserves closer examination.

The findings, which have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, have attracted both global attention and skepticism.

The researchers emphasize that these puzzling results highlight a peculiarity of quantum mechanics and not a radical change in our understanding of time.

“It is difficult, even for us, to talk about this with other physicists. We get misunderstood all the time,” says Aephraim Steinberg, a professor at the University of Toronto specializing in experimental quantum physics.

Although the term “negative time” may seem like a concept straight out of science fiction, Steinberg defends its use in the hope that it will spark deeper discussions about the mysteries of quantum physics.

energetic atoms

Years ago, the team began exploring interactions between light and matter.

When light particles, or photons, pass through atoms, some are absorbed by them and later re-emitted. This interaction modifies the atoms, temporarily placing them in a higher energy or “excited” state before returning to normal.

In an investigation directed by Daniela Angulo, The team set out to measure how long these atoms remained in their excited state.. “That time turned out to be negative,” Steinberg explained, meaning a duration less than zero.

To visualize this concept, Let’s imagine cars entering a tunnel: Before the experiment, the physicists saw that, while the average entry time for a thousand cars could be, for example, noon, the first cars could leave a little earlier, say at 11:59. a.m.. Previously, that result had been dismissed as insignificant.

What Angulo and his colleagues demonstrated was similar to measuring the carbon monoxide levels in the tunnel after the first cars left and verifying that the readings had a minus sign in front of them.

Relativity intact

The experiments took more than two years to optimize. The lasers used had to be carefully calibrated so as not to distort the results.

Still, Steinberg and Angulo are quick to clarify: No one is claiming that time travel is a possibility. “We don’t want to say that anything has traveled back in time,” says Steinberg. “That is a misinterpretation.”

The explanation lies in quantum mechanics, where particles like photons behave in a diffuse and probabilistic way instead of following strict rules.

Rather than following a fixed schedule of absorption and re-emission, these interactions occur across a spectrum of possible durations, some of which defy everyday intuition.

According to the researchers, this does not violate Einstein’s theory of special relativity, according to which nothing can travel faster than light. These photons carried no information, so they bypassed any cosmic speed limit.

A controversial discovery

The concept of “negative time” has generated both fascination and skepticism, especially among prominent members of the scientific community.

German theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder, for example, criticized the work in a YouTube video viewed by more than 250,000 people. “The negative time in this experiment has nothing to do with the passage of time, it is just a way of describing how photons travel through a medium and how their phases change.”, he noted.

Angulo and Steinberg responded by arguing that their research addresses crucial gaps in the understanding of why light does not always travel at a constant speed.

Steinberg acknowledged the controversy surrounding the provocative headline of his paper, but noted that no serious scientist has questioned the experimental results. “We have chosen what we consider to be the most fruitful way of describing the results,” he said, adding that although practical applications remain elusive, the findings open new avenues for exploring quantum phenomena.

“I’m going to be honest: I currently don’t have a path from what we’ve been looking at to its applications.”, he admitted. “We’re going to keep thinking about it, but I don’t want people to get their hopes up.”