Time feels so obvious that we rarely question its existence. Our clocks tick, we sense the hours passing, and we connect events to a single timeline. Yet, in many corners of theoretical physics, the very notion of time as a forward-moving entity is under scrutiny.

ome researchers claim that time may not exist in any fundamental way. They argue that our deeply held belief in a flowing “now” might be a trick of perception.

Time illusions in daily life

Our daily life depends on the past, present, and future being well-defined. We pay bills on time. We set our alarms to wake up in the morning. 

“The equations of physics do not tell us which events are occurring right now,” is an unsettling statement for scientists to make.

That remark highlights the gap between how we sense time and how modern equations describe it.

This perspective on timelessness has gained traction through work from many theoretical physicists, including Dr. Carlo Rovelli a theoretical physicist and Emeritus Professor at the Centre de Physique Théorique (CPT) of Aix-Marseille University in France.

Dr. Rovelli has developed approaches in loop quantum gravity that often do away with a global time parameter.

Time, physics, and intuition

Our intuitions tell us the present moment is distinct, while the future feels open and the past seems fixed. However, Einstein’s theories suggest that all moments could be equally real, leaving no universal present. 

Researchers have shown that gravity can slow clocks. So, for instance, time passes a little bit slower at sea level compared to the top of a mountain, because you’re a bit closer to Earth’s gravity.

It’s relative, meaning that time can move differently depending on how fast you’re moving or how close you are to a strong gravitational field.

Although we don’t experience this effect in our daily routines, atomic clocks confirm it. Such experiments show that time intervals can vary depending on speed and gravitational fields.

A sense of flow in time’s existence

If we listen to our everyday instincts, time seems to rush onward, dragging events from future to past.

Yet in general relativity, there is no built-in rule mandating a universal flow. Instead, many physicists say that our brains layer the experience of flow on top of an otherwise static reality. 

Some propose that what we call the “flow of time” emerges from correlations among physical objects.

Our stories and memories might be responsible for building a chain of events we label “before” and “after.”

Einstein and our understanding of time

Albert Einstein’s theories, particularly his theory of relativity, revolutionized how we think about time. In his special theory of relativity, published in 1905, he proposed that time isn’t the same for everyone.

Read More at https://www.earth.com/news/physicists-make-bold-claims-that-time-is-an-illusion-question-its-existence/