Strange quantum experiment shows “negative time” is more than an illusion

Photons traveling through a cloud of atoms can emerge so early that they appear to have spent a negative amount of time inside.

The short version

• Researchers tested whether this was merely a misleading feature of the light pulse by making extremely weak measurements of the atoms.
• Surprisingly, the atoms confirmed the same negative dwell time.
• The finding does not break standard physics, but it reveals that one of quantum mechanics’ strangest effects is physically measurable.

What happened

As Homer tells us, Odysseus made an epic journey, against the odds, from Troy to his home in Ithaca. He visited many lands, but mostly dwelt with the nymph Calypso on her island.

Why it matters

We can imagine that his wife, Penelope, would have asked him about that particular time.

Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at ScienceDaily — Top Science via the links above and below.