Time Emerges from Quantum Entanglement, Not a Universal Backdrop

A theoretical study revisits the Page and Wootters idea and argues that time may not be a fundamental backdrop but arises from the entangled relationship between a clock and a system. Using a two-system model (a clock and an oscillator), the work shows that when these subsystems are properly entangled, ordinary quantum motion can emerge and, in the macroscopic/classical limit, the familiar time of classical physics and Schrödinger dynamics appears. The research also notes the clock’s limits in fully quantum regimes and emphasizes the need for the clock to behave classically for time to emerge, while stressing that experimental confirmation remains out of reach and the idea remains speculative.