Cutting Through Time: Scientists Use Lasers in Mind-Blowing Physics Experiment to Create ‘Slits in Time’

A team of scientists has developed a new twist on an experiment that was first conducted over 200 years ago. By creating “slits” in time using lasers, the researchers were able to send light through and observe a pattern similar to the original experiment, which involved sending light through slits in a screen.

This breakthrough could have significant implications for the future of analog computing. By using slits in time, computers could potentially read and write data imprinted on beams of light instead of relying on digital bits. This could even allow the computers to learn from the data they work with, representing a major advancement in the field.

Moreover, this experiment could lead to a deeper understanding of the nature of light and its fundamental interactions with materials. The researchers published their findings on the creation of these slits in time in the journal Nature Physics.

In a recent study, researchers used indium tin oxide (ITO) – a material commonly found in smartphone screens – to create “slits” in time. ITO is known to respond to light by changing from transparent to reflective, but the researchers found that the process happens much faster than previously believed, taking less than ten femtoseconds.

To understand why this happens so quickly, the researchers examined the theory of how ITO’s electronics respond to the light used in the experiment. Using a pump pulse laser on an ITO-coated screen, they recreated the interference seen in the original experiment from 1801. When the laser hits ITO’s electrons, the material changes from transparent to reflective. The researchers then sent a probing laser beam into the ITO screen and observed a temporary change in the beam’s optical properties, creating a “slit in time” lasting only a few hundred femtoseconds.

While this is not the first time humans have manipulated light across time, it could lead to new advancements in analog computers. This discovery provides a new way to read and write data imprinted on beams of light, potentially allowing computers to learn from the data they work with, and opens the door to new breakthroughs in this field.