Physicists Thomas Gaff, Chintalpati Umashankar Shastri, and Andrea Rocco from Surrey are investigating the nature of time and its perceived unidirectionality. Despite extensive efforts, they haven’t found clear evidence explaining why time appears to flow only forward. The researchers suggest that while the fundamental laws of physics are symmetric concerning time, our everyday experiences are not. They used a mathematical model, specifically a Markov chain, to represent heated particles shaking in a container, postulating that each new quantum state relies only on the preceding state.
Their findings indicate that while our experience of time suggests it moves only in one direction, the possibility of reversing time at the quantum level exists. This does not conflict with the second law of thermodynamics, which asserts that certain physical processes are irreversible. Instead, it implies that the perception of time’s one-way flow might be a product of larger cosmic conditions stemming from the Big Bang. Their research highlights that the foundation of our collective experience with time could have symmetrical underpinnings at a quantum scale. The study was published in “Scientific Reports.”
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