Planck time
Encyclopedia
In physics
, the Planck time, (tP), is the unit of time
in the system of natural units
known as Planck units
. It is the time required for light
to travel, in a vacuum
, a distance of 1 Planck length. The unit is named after Max Planck
, who was the first to propose it.
The Planck time is defined as:
where:
is the reduced Planck constant
(sometimes
is used instead of 
in the definition)
The two digits between parentheses denote the standard error
of the estimated value.
to cross a distance equal to one Planck length. Theoretically, this is the smallest time measurement that will ever be possible, roughly 10−43 seconds. Within the framework of the laws of physics as we understand them today, for times less than one Planck time apart, we can neither measure nor detect any change.
As of May 2010, the smallest time interval that was directly measured was on the order of 12 attoseconds (12 × 10−18 seconds), about 1024 times larger than the Planck time.
The Planck time comes from a field of mathematical physics
known as dimensional analysis
, which studies units of measurement
and physical constants. The Planck time is the unique combination of the gravitational constant
G, the relativity constant
c, and the quantum constant
h, to produce a constant with units of time
. For processes that occur in a time t less than one Planck time, the dimensionless quantity
tP / t is greater than one. Dimensional analysis suggests that the effects of both quantum mechanics
and gravity will be important under these circumstances, requiring a theory of quantum gravity
. All scientific experiments and human experiences happen over billions of billions of billions of Planck times, making any events happening at the Planck scale hard to detect.
Analysis of Hubble Space Telescope
Deep Field images in 2003 led to a debate about the physical implications of the Planck time as a physical minimum time interval. According to Lieu and Hillman,
speculative theories of quantum gravity "foam
" where there are space-time fluctuations on the Planck scale predict that images of extremely distant objects should be blurry. However, blurring was not seen in the Hubble images, which was claimed to be problematic for such theories.
Other authors have disputed this, in particular Ng et al.,
who stated that the blurring effect was overestimated by Lieu and Hillman by factors of between 1015 and 1030, and thus the observations are very much less effective in constraining theory: "the cumulative effects of spacetime fluctuations on the phase coherence of light [in certain theories of 'foamy' spacetime] are too small to be observable".
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, the Planck time, (tP), is the unit of time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
in the system of natural units
Natural units
In physics, natural units are physical units of measurement based only on universal physical constants. For example the elementary charge e is a natural unit of electric charge, or the speed of light c is a natural unit of speed...
known as Planck units
Planck units
In physics, Planck units are physical units of measurement defined exclusively in terms of five universal physical constants listed below, in such a manner that these five physical constants take on the numerical value of 1 when expressed in terms of these units. Planck units elegantly simplify...
. It is the time required for light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
to travel, in a vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
, a distance of 1 Planck length. The unit is named after Max Planck
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS, was a German physicist who actualized the quantum physics, initiating a revolution in natural science and philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.-Life and career:Planck came...
, who was the first to propose it.
The Planck time is defined as:
where:
is the reduced Planck constantPlanck constant
The Planck constant , also called Planck's constant, is a physical constant reflecting the sizes of energy quanta in quantum mechanics. It is named after Max Planck, one of the founders of quantum theory, who discovered it in 1899...
(sometimes
is used instead of in the definition)
- G = gravitational constantGravitational constantThe gravitational constant, denoted G, is an empirical physical constant involved in the calculation of the gravitational attraction between objects with mass. It appears in Newton's law of universal gravitation and in Einstein's theory of general relativity. It is also known as the universal...
- c = speed of lightSpeed of lightThe speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
in a vacuumVacuumIn everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
is the SISiSi, si, or SI may refer to :- Measurement, mathematics and science :* International System of Units , the modern international standard version of the metric system...
unit of time, the secondSecondThe second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
.
The two digits between parentheses denote the standard error
Standard error (statistics)
The standard error is the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of a statistic. The term may also be used to refer to an estimate of that standard deviation, derived from a particular sample used to compute the estimate....
of the estimated value.
Physical significance
One Planck time is the time it would take a photon travelling at the speed of lightLight
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
to cross a distance equal to one Planck length. Theoretically, this is the smallest time measurement that will ever be possible, roughly 10−43 seconds. Within the framework of the laws of physics as we understand them today, for times less than one Planck time apart, we can neither measure nor detect any change.
As of May 2010, the smallest time interval that was directly measured was on the order of 12 attoseconds (12 × 10−18 seconds), about 1024 times larger than the Planck time.
The Planck time comes from a field of mathematical physics
Mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The Journal of Mathematical Physics defines this area as: "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and...
known as dimensional analysis
Dimensional analysis
In physics and all science, dimensional analysis is a tool to find or check relations among physical quantities by using their dimensions. The dimension of a physical quantity is the combination of the basic physical dimensions which describe it; for example, speed has the dimension length per...
, which studies units of measurement
Units of measurement
A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention and/or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same physical quantity. Any other value of the physical quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of...
and physical constants. The Planck time is the unique combination of the gravitational constant
Gravitational constant
The gravitational constant, denoted G, is an empirical physical constant involved in the calculation of the gravitational attraction between objects with mass. It appears in Newton's law of universal gravitation and in Einstein's theory of general relativity. It is also known as the universal...
G, the relativity constant
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
c, and the quantum constant
Planck constant
The Planck constant , also called Planck's constant, is a physical constant reflecting the sizes of energy quanta in quantum mechanics. It is named after Max Planck, one of the founders of quantum theory, who discovered it in 1899...
h, to produce a constant with units of time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
. For processes that occur in a time t less than one Planck time, the dimensionless quantity
Dimensionless quantity
In dimensional analysis, a dimensionless quantity or quantity of dimension one is a quantity without an associated physical dimension. It is thus a "pure" number, and as such always has a dimension of 1. Dimensionless quantities are widely used in mathematics, physics, engineering, economics, and...
tP / t is greater than one. Dimensional analysis suggests that the effects of both quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
and gravity will be important under these circumstances, requiring a theory of quantum gravity
Quantum gravity
Quantum gravity is the field of theoretical physics which attempts to develop scientific models that unify quantum mechanics with general relativity...
. All scientific experiments and human experiences happen over billions of billions of billions of Planck times, making any events happening at the Planck scale hard to detect.
Analysis of Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
Deep Field images in 2003 led to a debate about the physical implications of the Planck time as a physical minimum time interval. According to Lieu and Hillman,
speculative theories of quantum gravity "foam
Quantum foam
Quantum foam, also referred to as spacetime foam, is a concept in quantum mechanics, devised by John Wheeler in 1955. The foam is supposed to be the foundations of the fabric of the universe. Additionally, it can be used as a qualitative description of subatomic spacetime turbulence at extremely...
" where there are space-time fluctuations on the Planck scale predict that images of extremely distant objects should be blurry. However, blurring was not seen in the Hubble images, which was claimed to be problematic for such theories.
Other authors have disputed this, in particular Ng et al.,
who stated that the blurring effect was overestimated by Lieu and Hillman by factors of between 1015 and 1030, and thus the observations are very much less effective in constraining theory: "the cumulative effects of spacetime fluctuations on the phase coherence of light [in certain theories of 'foamy' spacetime] are too small to be observable".