Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Jose Diego (IFCA), Jordan D'Silva (UWA), Anton Koekemoer (STScI), Jake Summers (ASU), Rogier Windhorst (ASU), Haojing Yan (University of Missouri)
Researchers from Tsinghua University say they successfully recreated a key mechanism behind the so-called “false vacuum decay” — one of the most alarming theories in modern physics. The study, published in Physical Review Letters, used a quantum simulator to model a hypothetical process that could, in theory, destroy the Universe.
The concept of false vacuum decay was first proposed in the 1970s by physicist Sidney Coleman. The theory suggests that the Universe may exist in a metastable state — balanced between stability and collapse. According to the hypothesis, a random quantum fluctuation could trigger a transition into a lower-energy “true vacuum,” creating a bubble that would expand at the speed of light and fundamentally alter the laws of physics.
To recreate the process, the Chinese research team built a one-dimensional ring of highly excited rubidium-87 Rydberg atoms. Using lasers, scientists artificially generated two energy states — a “false” vacuum and a “true” vacuum — and simulated the transition between them through quantum fluctuations.
“We directly observed the birth and expansion of true vacuum bubbles,” said lead researcher Wang Xiao. He stressed that the breakthrough was not in the laser operations themselves, but in the physical interpretation applied during the experiment.
The researchers emphasized that the experiment does not prove humanity is approaching a cosmic catastrophe, nor does it confirm that the real Universe exists in a false vacuum state. However, they noted that if such a state does exist, the resulting decay process would spread catastrophically once triggered.
Beyond cosmology, the study may also have practical applications in quantum technologies. Scientists believe arrays of Rydberg atoms could become a promising platform for future quantum simulators and quantum computing systems.
