time reversal invariance violation

Large scale physical effects of T violation in mesons

An increasing number of experiments at the Belle, BNL, CERN and SLAC accelerators are confirming the violation of time reversal invariance (T). The violation signifies a fundamental asymmetry between the past and future and calls for a major shift in the way we think about time. Here we show that processes which violate T symmetry induce destructive interference between different paths that the universe can take through time. The interference eliminates all paths except for two that represent continuously forwards and continuously backwards time evolution. Evidence from the accelerator experiments indicates which path the universe is effectively following. This work resolves the long-standing problem of modeling the dynamics of T violation processes. It shows that T violation has previously unknown, large-scale physical effects and that these effects underlie the origin of the unidirectionality of time. It also provides a view of the quantum nature of time itself.