英国伯明翰大学首席研究员Giovanni Barontini在实验室中利用约24,000个超冷原子构建了一个微型量子系统，模拟了宇宙的膨胀与收缩1。这些原子被冷却至绝对零度以上几十亿分之一度的极端低温状态1。相关研究成果于2026年10月30日发表在《Physical Review Research》期刊上（DOI: 10.1103/1h9j-df4k）1。
该研究的核心发现是证明了无需依赖外部时钟，仅通过系统内部粒子分布变化产生的“熵时”即可定义时间的流逝1。“熵时”概念认为时间可由系统内部熵的变化来衡量1。实验进一步证实，薛定谔方程可以用这种由系统内部生成的时间度量来表达1。这一发现为量子引力理论中时间可能并非基本要素的观点提供了首个受控的实验证据1。
Physicist Giovanni Barontini at the University of Birmingham has created a miniature quantum system that simulates the expansion and contraction of the universe, providing evidence that time can emerge internally without an external clock 1. The experiment utilized approximately 24,000 ultra-cold atoms cooled to temperatures within billionths of a degree above absolute zero to construct this isolated environment 1. By observing changes in particle distribution within the system, the researchers demonstrated that the passage of time could be defined solely by internal entropy variations, a concept they term "entropic time" 1.
The findings, published in Physical Review Research (DOI: 10.1103/1h9j-df4k), show that the Schrödinger equation can be expressed using this internally generated metric for time 1. This work offers the first controlled experimental support for theories in quantum gravity suggesting that time may not be a fundamental element of reality 1. As the principal investigator, Barontini led the effort to validate how temporal progression arises from the statistical behavior of particles rather than relying on pre-existing external chronometers 1.
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