Atomic Clocks Could Catch Time Going Quantum, Measuring Ticking That Goes Faster And Slower At the Same Time

Summary: Scientists have a wild new idea: time itself might be able to act like a quantum object.

In quantum physics, things can be in two different states at the exact same time. You might have heard of the famous "Schrödinger's cat" experiment, where a pretend cat in a box is both alive and dead until you look at it.

Now, physicists think super-precise atomic clocks could do something similar. They believe a clock could be put into a state where it ticks both faster and slower at the exact same time! It would be like having a cat that is both a young kitten and an old cat all at once.

These atomic clocks are kept near absolute zero temperature and are so sensitive they can measure tiny changes in gravity. By using a special trick to squeeze the vacuum of space, scientists hope to test this mind-bending idea very soon.

For more details, see rssapp-iflscience-com at iflscience.com/atomic-clocks-could-catch-time-going-quantum-measuring-ticking-that-goes-faster-and-slower-at-the-same-time-83304 (opens in new tab)