Physicists have published research proposing that a single clock could tick both faster and slower at the same time due to quantum effects. The work combines relativity and quantum mechanics in a novel way. Researchers say advances in atomic clock technology may soon allow the idea to be tested in the lab.
A paper published on April 20, 2026 in Physical Review Letters outlines the possibility of clocks existing in quantum superposition. Assistant Professor Igor Pikovski of Stevens Institute of Technology led the study with collaborators from Colorado State University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The research builds on earlier ideas from more than a decade ago that were previously too subtle to observe.