Optical time travel: proposal for testing Hawking's Chronology Protection Conjecture in an optical analogue

Abstract:Classical general relativity allows time travel, but Hawking [Phys. Rev. D 46, 603 (1992)] conjectured that quantum mechanics ultimately prevents it. Here we propose a feasible experiment to test Hawking's Chronology Protection Conjecture in optics. In this scheme, time travel is inherently related to lasing, and the amplified vacuum fluctuations above laser threshold establish the quantum limits of time travel

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc); Optics (physics.optics)

arXiv:2607.22056 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2607.22056v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.22056 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

Class. Quant. Grav. 43, 14LT01 (2026)

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