[Paper Review] Proposal for an experiment to demonstrate the block universe

A L McKenzie|arXiv (Cornell University)|Mar 28, 2016

Quantum Mechanics and Applications11 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a realizable experiment using radio signals between Earth and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to demonstrate the block universe concept, where future events for one observer are already in the past for another due to relativistic time dilation and interplanetary distances. The key result is that observers in relative motion with large separations perceive time intervals in each other's futures as already past, supporting a spacetime structure where all events are equally real.

ABSTRACT

While the concept of the block universe has a most respectable scientific provenance, many physicists nevertheless do not accept that future events are just as embedded in spacetime as are those of the present and the past. This paper proposes an experiment to demonstrate the block universe using interplanetary distances and high relative speeds such as those accessible through the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The proposed experiment hinges on signals exchanged between Earth and the Orbiter which reveal a time interval of some tens of milliseconds in the future of the Earth which is already in the past of the Orbiter. Since this experiment can be performed at any time, and since the magnitude of the time interval can in principle be increased in proportion to the distances and speeds over which it is performed, an observer can always be found for whom the past is in the future of another observer. The only explanation that fits these observations is a block universe in which all events in the past, present and future of any observer are equally enfolded into spacetime.

Motivation & Objective

• To provide a testable, empirical demonstration of the block universe interpretation of spacetime, which posits that past, present, and future events are equally real and fixed in a four-dimensional manifold.
• To address the persistent skepticism among physicists about the block universe, despite its foundation in relativity and quantum mechanics.
• To design a feasible experiment using existing space infrastructure—specifically the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter—to observe relativistic time differences between Earth and a distant spacecraft.
• To show that the perception of time as flowing is incompatible with observations of signal timing across large distances and high relative velocities.
• To establish that the only consistent explanation for observed time discrepancies is a block universe where all events are equally embedded in spacetime.

Proposed method

• Use two synchronized atomic clocks on Earth and on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to measure one-way signal travel times between them.
• Transmit high-precision radio signals from Earth to the Orbiter and back, measuring round-trip and one-way delays with nanosecond accuracy.
• Leverage the high relative velocity (approximately 3 km/s) and large distance (up to 250 million km) between Earth and the Orbiter to produce measurable time dilation effects.
• Apply the relativistic formula for one-way signal delay: Δt = (v·d)/c², where v is relative velocity, d is distance, and c is the speed of light, to predict time differences.
• Compare the time of transmission on Earth with the time of reception on the Orbiter, and vice versa, to reveal that signals arrive at times that are in the future of one observer but already in the past of the other.
• Use the observed time discrepancies to infer that events in the future of one observer are already in the past of another, confirming the block universe structure.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can a real experiment using existing deep-space communication systems demonstrate that future events for one observer are already in the past for another observer due to relativistic effects?
• RQ2 Is the perception of time as a flowing sequence incompatible with observed signal timing across interplanetary distances and high relative velocities?
• RQ3 Does the observed time discrepancy between Earth and a distant spacecraft like the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provide empirical support for the block universe model?
• RQ4 Can the block universe be demonstrated without requiring new physics or hypothetical particles, using only known relativistic effects and current space technology?
• RQ5 Is there a consistent spacetime structure in which all events—past, present, and future—are equally real and fixed, as implied by the observed signal timing?

Key findings

• The experiment predicts a time interval of tens of milliseconds in the future of Earth that is already in the past of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter due to their relative motion and distance.
• The magnitude of the time difference scales linearly with both the distance between Earth and the Orbiter and their relative velocity, making it measurable with current technology.
• Observers on Earth and the Orbiter will record different time stamps for the same signal events, with one perceiving the event as future and the other as already past.
• The observed time discrepancy cannot be explained by any dynamic or flowing time model, but is naturally explained by a four-dimensional spacetime structure where all events are fixed.
• The only consistent explanation for the observed signal timing is a block universe in which all events are equally real and embedded in spacetime.
• The experiment is repeatable at any time and can be scaled to larger distances or higher speeds, reinforcing the universality of the block universe structure.