this post was submitted on 01 May 2026
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[–] atro_city@fedia.io 40 points 2 days ago (1 children)

So what does this all mean? Is a time machine just around the corner?

Sadly, no. Our experiment is fully explained by standard physics.

But it does show that negative dwell time is not an artefact. However paradoxical it may seem, it has a directly measurable effect on the atomic cloud that the photon traverses. And it reminds us that there are still lands to discover on the odyssey that is quantum research.

I was awaiting an explanation... now I'm just left wondering.

[–] Avicenna@programming.dev 35 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

That is how %100 of physics articles with cool names feel like, you usually end up with something like "we measured a slightly different voltage which in this context is a signal for the existence of parallel universes"

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 25 points 2 days ago

Negative time as experienced by most people at the DMV.

[–] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago (3 children)
[–] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

No, it's a video of the moment the two scientist measured negative time....

It's from the Movie TENET

[–] Watermark710@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago

It's a gif from the movie Tenet, which is about negative time.

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 days ago

I think it's the movie Tenet

[–] sorter_plainview@lemmy.today 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

So what does this all mean? Is a time machine just around the corner?

Sadly, no. Our experiment is fully explained by standard physics.

But it does show that negative dwell time is not an artefact. However paradoxical it may seem, it has a directly measurable effect on the atomic cloud that the photon traverses. And it reminds us that there are still lands to discover on the odyssey that is quantum research.

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

However paradoxical it may seem, it has a directly measurable effect on the atomic cloud that the photon traverses

So ... a proton exits this 'atomic cloud' before it enters?

[–] Inucune@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Are we potentially getting close to detecting if a tackyon exists?

[–] MalReynolds@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Seems pretty standard model still, more interesting behavior hiding in the indeterminance principle. Still, negative time hints at negative energy which could certainly change the game.

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

negative time hints at negative energy

Energy = mass, and negative mass would have some really bonkers paradoxical behavior...

[–] MalReynolds@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 days ago

Including the aforementioned time travel via stabilization of wormholes ala Morris–Thorne...

[–] korda@aussie.zone 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Oh no, it’s the plot from Outer Wilds! Don’t go breaking spacetime.

[–] KingGimpicus@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

Well, part of the plot anyways. Im pretty sure we save spacetime from the big cold dark in the end. Or something.

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 10 points 2 days ago
[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 2 days ago

Here is the paper from 1993 when this was originally tested.

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.71.708

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Me when I start working a double.

At least no one has invented triples yet...

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Triples exist and they're safe

[–] Zron@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I see you’ve never been on call

[–] Libb@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Haven't many people experienced that? It's called scrolling on social media, right?

[–] Get_Off_My_WLAN@fedia.io 10 points 2 days ago

I think that's time dilation, when your 10 minutes on the phone was actually an hour.