Quantum Sound in the Fabric of the Universe express

Original: "Collective excitations in quantum gravity condensates"
arXiv:2605.18977 · 2026-05-18 · CC BY 4.0 · 1 min
Spacetime may not be continuous, but woven from quantum threads. Their collective trembling gives rise to something like sound, and this 'ringing' might reveal itself in the expansion of the Universe.

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The universe is not a solid monolith, but a canvas of countless quantum threads. Spacetime doesn't flow like water, but vibrates like a tapestry in the wind. For a long time, physicists only saw the overall pattern, neglecting the tremor of individual threads. But if you listen, this tremor merges into something like sound — not audible to the ear, but akin to a wave on a taut string. That's exactly what was described in a new work: the collective trembling of the universe's quantum threads. It resembles gravitational waves, only playing out at the micro level. Interestingly, this ripple slightly alters the pace at which the Universe expands. This was predicted by John Wheeler, and now the ideas developed by Carlo Rovelli are getting a precise framework. Someday, this barely perceptible ringing will be caught by telescopes, and we'll hear the quantum voice of the cosmos.

In a superfluid, sound doesn't fade: it becomes an endless echo.

The idea of quantum 'building blocks' of reality is explored in Greg Egan's science fiction novel 'Permutation City', where the universe is a giant cellular automaton.

Scientists
Albert EinsteinBarry BarishKip ThorneRichard FeynmanRussell HulseHenri Poincaré
Concepts
quantum field theory in curved spacetime quantum gravity effects field theory gravity theories gravitational entanglement particle creation supergravity spacetime emergence collective effect Gross–Pitaevskii equation vacuum backreaction general relativity exciton condensate cosmic bubble nucleation cosmological constant problem cosmological bounce time evolution gravitational superposition experiments vacuum energy