Analogue time machine in a photonic system

TL;DR

This paper proposes a photonic system model to simulate a 'time machine' with closed time-like curves, allowing experimental study of paradoxes and self-consistency principles in quantum mechanics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel photonic analogue system for exploring time travel paradoxes and self-consistency in quantum physics.

Findings

Demonstrates how closed time-like curves can be simulated in photonics

Shows realization of Novikov's self-consistency principle via quantum uncertainty

Provides a platform for experimental investigation of time travel paradoxes

Abstract

Analogue physics has successfully tackled the problems of chromodynamics, event horizons, Big Bang and Universe expansion, and many others. Here, we suggest a photonic model system for a "time machine" based on the paraxial beam approximation. We demonstrate how the closed time-like curves and the well-known grandfather paradox can be studied experimentally in this system. We show how the Novikov's self-consistency principle is realized in quantum mechanics thanks to the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.