Physicists have suggested that the minimum possible time scale in the physical Universe is several orders of magnitude greater than the Planck time. Moreover, the existence of such a scale changes the fundamental equations of quantum mechanics, and with it, the idea of the nature of time. The authors insist on its discreteness and compare it with a crystal. The new theory is presented in The European Physical Journal C.
Mir Faizal of the University of Waterloo and his co-authors have suggested that the minimum time scale in the universe is much larger than the Planck time scale (the latter is about 10 to minus 43 degrees of seconds). Moreover, this hypothesis can be verified experimentally.
Correcting the minimum time frame forces the basic equations of quantum mechanics to be rebuilt. One of the "test" experiments can be measuring the rate of spontaneous emission of a hydrogen atom, physicists say. The modified equations give a different indicator from the existing ones. Similar changes can be observed in the decay rate of particles and unstable atomic nuclei.
In addition, the proposed changes in the basic equations of quantum mechanics force us to rethink the very definition of time. According to scientists, by its structure, time is crystalline - it consists of discrete, regularly repeating segments.
“The physical universe is like a motion picture, where a sequence of static frames creates the illusion of movement. If we take this point of view seriously, then our perception of reality in the spirit of continuous movement turns out to be an illusion, which is formed by a discrete mathematical structure. (…) Our assumption points to the platonic nature of reality. But unlike other platonic theories, our idea can be tested experimentally, - said Feisal.