According to research published in the journal Scientific Reports, at the quantum level, time can move not only forward, but also backward. This contradicts traditional mathematical assumptions that are incorrectly used by many scientists. Some quantum systems can have two different time axes: one moving in the usual direction, and the other in the opposite direction. This discovery shows that time asymmetry can exist on a very small scale.
Time symmetry in quantum mechanics
The equations of quantum physics that describe the motion of individual particles do not impose any restrictions on the direction of time. This means that the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics preserve time symmetry and time can move in both directions. But when it comes to large systems of many particles, the equations physicists use distinguish between the past and the future.
Thomas Gough, a quantum thermodynamics researcher and professor at the University of Surrey in Britain, says the discovery raises a very interesting question:
“At what computational stage does time symmetry break down? When does time irreversibility emerge?”
Gough and his colleagues have shown that time symmetry can be preserved. They have studied quantum systems interacting with their environment and found that these systems maintain two opposing time axes.
Can time be reversed?
Previously, many theorists believed that when any system interacts with its environment, it loses a certain amount of heat, and this phenomenon determines the movement of time from the past to the future. However, biologist and physicist Andrea Rocco from the University of Surrey has challenged this idea:
“What if time could be reversed?” he asked.
He argues that in this case, the equations describing the motion of a system would change slightly.
Scientists have shown that these equations can be adapted to cases where there are two opposing time axes. These equations apply to a variety of systems, for example, those that are subject to random fluctuations or to systems that are constantly changing their state, including processes such as Brownian motion.
Although there is no clear mathematical proof for this yet, scientists suspect that the appearance of two time axes may be a widespread phenomenon in nature.
Impact on cosmology
According to Gonzalo Ordóñez, a professor at Butler University in Indiana, time symmetry is one of the most important problems in physics. He argues that until now, physicists may have overlooked an important factor in the equations that describe irreversible processes. If this factor were taken into account, these equations would not distinguish between the past and the future.
This discovery could have a major impact on cosmology. If the entire Universe is considered an open system, then it is possible that time evolved in two opposite directions after the big bang.
However, Rocco warns against haste:
“We may have found something so fundamental that it manifests itself in many areas of nature. But we need to understand it more deeply,” he says.
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