Time travel in the quantum world

[Arceus]

hi users, I'm a new member of the forum. My question is about time travel in the quantum world. I am aware of the enormous limitations, but my topic is about individual particles and their ability to travel through time, is that possible for them? My question comes from a speech by an important physicist, who states that single particles in the quantum world can go back in time for example in 2012. Obviously there is no talk of paradoxes, and he refers to the Wigner theorem

 

[PeterDonis]

My question comes from a speech by an important physicist

Please give a more specific reference.

 

[PeterDonis]

I'm a new member of the forum.

Welcome to PF!

 

[Arceus]

Welcome to PF!

Hi PeterDonis at this moment I don't have the link of the text, but it concerned an interview made by a newspaper with professor Antonio Zicchichi, maybe I didn't write the name well. This physicist claims that individual particles like an electron, can go back into the past, in my view I believe the professor was referring to quantum foam and therefore to the indeterministic nature of the quantum world. But of course I'm on this forum for more information

 

[PeterDonis]

at this moment I don't have the link of the text, but it concerned an interview made by a newspaper with professor Antonio Zicchichi

We can't discuss a vague second-hand report of something. We need the actual first-hand reference. If you can't provide one, we will have to close this thread.

 

[PeterDonis]

in my view I believe the professor was referring to quantum foam and therefore to the indeterministic nature of the quantum world

Which is not at all the same thing as "time travel is possible", even for individual quantum particles. So either you are misunderstanding what the professor said, or the professor is going way beyond what the actual theory says (which, unfortunately, scientists often do in informal contexts like interviews with newspapers). It's impossible to tell which without an actual reference to what the professor said.

 

[Arceus]

Which is not at all the same thing as "time travel is possible", even for individual quantum particles. So either you are misunderstanding what the professor said, or the professor is going way beyond what the actual theory says (which, unfortunately, scientists often do in informal contexts like interviews with newspapers). It's impossible to tell which without an actual reference to what the professor said.

Which is not at all the same thing as "time travel is possible", even for individual quantum particles. So either you are misunderstanding what the professor said, or the professor is going way beyond what the actual theory says (which, unfortunately, scientists often do in informal contexts like interviews with newspapers). It's impossible to tell which without an actual reference to what the professor said.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.il...-non-per-noi-e-su-dio-vi-dico-che/102801/amp/

this is the link of the article, I do not speak Italian but cob the translator I was able to read what was written, and affirm that single particles can travel in the past in the quantum world. Unfortunately I don't have links in English, but using the translator you can read it. I know that in Italy this professor is very important but I don't know anything else about him.

 

[EPR]

He is just saying that elementary particles do not have a preference for future or past, a designated path from past to future, like classical objects do.
It's easy to confuse with particles somehow going back into past on a poorly translated page.

 

[Delta2]

which, unfortunately, scientists often do in informal contexts like interviews with newspapers

+1 yes they do that quite often...

 

[PeterDonis]

Let me remind OP's question

Which was already shown, way back in post #8, to be based on a misunderstanding of what the professor referred to actually said.

So please let us avoid subjective QM interpretations here, and try to answer OP's question from QFT perceptive

The question is already answered: particles can't travel back in time. QFT agrees with this. CPT symmetry is not the same thing as time travel.

 

[PeterDonis]

The OP's question has been answered. Thread closed.