On September 12, 2025, GameStar reported on a breakthrough by Austrian researchers: they developed a technique that can “rewind” or “fast-forward” the state of photons or qubits, effectively allowing quantum systems to travel backward or forward in time on microscopic scales. The method, based on a so-called Quantum Switch, was successfully demonstrated with photons and superconducting qubits. A binary measurement (0 or 1) indicates whether the temporal manipulation succeeded, collapsing the superposition into a defined outcome.
The experiment does not allow macroscopic objects—or humans—to travel in time. It is strictly confined to quantum particles and to the duration of the experiment itself.
Why does it matter?
- Provides a mechanism to “replay” quantum computations, functioning as a rewind button for qubits.
- Could improve error tolerance in quantum computers, which are notoriously fragile.
- Opens potential pathways to more robust quantum hardware capable of working at higher temperatures.
- Illustrates once again how quantum mechanics bends intuition—where the “past” can become part of the computational toolkit.
What’s next?
Future directions include:
- Scaling the approach from proof-of-concept demonstrations to larger quantum circuits.
- Testing whether this “time rewind” can practically reduce error rates in real-world quantum computations.
- Exploring how the method integrates with existing quantum error correction protocols.
- Investigating limits—such as whether different quantum platforms (ions, neutral atoms) can support similar manipulations.
Commentary (The Quantum Strong Perspective)
Time travel in the lab? Not quite, but close enough to mess with your coffee break discussions.
The article makes a bold claim—“opening tiny gates in time”—and while it flirts with sci-fi language, the underlying science is real. What we’re seeing is not DeLorean-style time travel, but clever exploitation of quantum superposition and measurement collapse to reset or accelerate a system’s state. Think of it less as visiting the past, and more as replaying the last 10 seconds of a chess game until you finally avoid blundering your queen.
Our evaluation: Conceptually sound, though simplified in the article’s presentation. The technical nuance—that the rewind only works within the strict time span of the experiment—should not be overlooked. Still, if this can be engineered into quantum processors, it might turn out to be one of the most practical “time machines” ever built: one that saves your algorithm, not your grandfather.
🔗 Source:
GameStar – “Zeitreisen im Quantenreich”, September 12, 2025
