Physicists Discover a New Way to Measure Time

While in our everyday lives measuring time is simply a matter of counting the seconds between the past and the present, things work quite differently in the quantum world. At microscopic scales, events don’t follow a predictable order, and the “now” often blurs with the “before,” rendering conventional stopwatches useless in certain contexts.

An Innovative Approach Using Quantum Clouds

A study published in 2022 by scientists from Uppsala University in Sweden proposed an innovative approach to this dilemma: using the characteristics of quantum clouds themselves — more specifically, the behavior of atoms in highly energized states known as Rydberg states — as a new way to mark time, without the need for a fixed starting point.

Rydberg atoms are like expanded versions of normal atoms, with extremely energized electrons orbiting far from the nucleus. Although scientists often use lasers to excite electrons into these high-energy states, what’s interesting here is how these electrons behave when overlapped — creating unique interference patterns, similar to ripples formed when several stones are thrown into a pond at once.

These patterns, known as Rydberg wave packets, evolve predictably over time. By analyzing the interference, researchers were able to identify temporal “fingerprints” that don’t depend on an initial moment. This allows them, for example, to state that four nanoseconds have passed simply by observing the formed pattern — no conventional “clock” needed.

Tests with Helium and Accurate Measurements

In the experiments, scientists used laser-excited helium atoms and compared the results with theoretical models to confirm the accuracy of these patterns as time markers. According to physicist Marta Berholts, who led the study, the main advantage of this method is precisely that it doesn’t require starting a count from zero — you simply observe the interference pattern to know how much time has passed.

This new method could be particularly useful in studies involving ultrafast spectroscopy, where events happen in such tiny fractions of time that traditional methods become unfeasible. With this technique, it’s possible to record occurrences lasting only 1.7 trillionths of a second.

Researchers believe they can expand this type of ‘quantum clock’ by using different elements or adjusting the laser pulses, creating a kind of temporal catalog adaptable to a variety of experimental conditions.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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