Scientists Built a Tiny “Universe” And Watched Time Emerge From Chaos

Key Points:

• Physicist Giovanni Barontini at the University of Birmingham created a miniature universe using 24,000 rubidium atoms cooled near absolute zero, simulating cycles of Big Bang, expansion, and Big Crunch every 120 milliseconds.
• The system divides atoms into a visible "bright sector" and a hidden "dark sector," with entropy flowing between them, allowing the creation of an internal "entropic time" based on disorder exchange rather than external clocks.
• When entropy flow slows or stops, this internal time effectively freezes, meaning no time elapses within the system despite the laboratory clock continuing normally, challenging traditional notions of time progression.
• The experiment offers a tangible platform to test "relational time" theories in quantum mechanics, where time emerges from internal correlations rather than existing as an external parameter.
• While not a full model of cosmic time involving general relativity, Barontini's work advances understanding of time's nature by turning abstract quantum gravity problems into measurable, testable phenomena.