Barontini Builds 24,000-Atom Mini-Universe to Show Time Emerges From Entropy
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Jun 19
Barontini Builds 24,000-Atom Mini-Universe to Show Time Emerges From Entropy
3 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Jun 19
Summary
24,000 rubidium atoms cooled to billionths of a degree above absolute zero formed a Bose-Einstein condensate that let Giovanni Barontini test whether time can arise inside a quantum system.
Two laser beams split the condensate into observed “bright” and unobserved “dark” sectors, and atoms oscillating between them created an internal clock defined by entropy exchange rather than any external timer.
Barontini said the experiment provides the first controlled evidence that event order in such a system can be set by entropy flow alone, with that entropic time stopping when the exchange stops.
Published in Physical Review Research, the setup could be tuned to mimic Big Bang, Big Crunch, bounce and black-hole-like scenarios, offering a lab platform for probing quantum gravity and whether time is fundamental.
If a lab-made universe's time can stop, is our own cosmic clock also winding down?
A new 'time' just rewrote quantum physics. Which fundamental law of nature is the next to fall?
Entropic Time Proven: Birmingham Physicists Create Mini-Universe to Show Time Arises from Internal Quantum Change
Overview
In June 2026, Professor Giovanni Barontini's team at the University of Birmingham conducted a groundbreaking experiment that challenges our basic understanding of time. Their research shows that time is not an external, universal constant, but instead emerges from internal changes—specifically, the flow of entropy—within a closed quantum system. This finding provides a real-world test for abstract physics theories, like the Wheeler–DeWitt equation, which suggest time is not fundamental at the deepest level of the universe. The experiment opens new paths for exploring the true origins of time and transforms theoretical debates into testable science.