Could Three Dimensions of Time Solve Physics’ Greatest Puzzle?

Physics today rests on two pillars: quantum mechanics, which governs the tiny world of particles, and general relativity, which describes the vast cosmos. Yet these theories don’t fully mesh, leaving scientists searching for a unifying framework.

Enter a bold new idea from University of Alaska geophysicist Gunther Kletetschka: what if time itself has not one, but three dimensions?

Imagine time not as just a single line moving forward, but as having three directions, just like how space has length, width, and height. This idea of “3D time” means time could flow in different ways or directions, not just from past to future. It’s like if you could move through moments not only forward but sideways or up and down in time, giving a more complex picture of how events happen. Scientists explore this idea to better understand the universe, but for now, it’s a way to imagine time as a bigger, more flexible thing than just a simple ticking clock.

Essential Facts (Fact-Checked)

New theory: University of Alaska geophysicist Gunther Kletetschka proposes a physics framework with three dimensions of time, alongside the usual three dimensions of space.
Background: The idea of multiple time dimensions is not new, but this is the first mathematical model claiming to reproduce known physical properties and particle masses.
Motivation: Current physics struggles to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity due to their fundamentally different descriptions of reality.
Concept: Time is split into three orthogonal dimensions, each corresponding to different scales or aspects of temporal experience—from quantum uncertainty to cosmic evolution.
Implications: The theory reproduces known particle masses (top quarks, muons, electrons) and predicts neutrino masses and subtle effects on gravitational wave speeds.
Potential: Offers a new foundational framework that might unify physics and explain phenomena currently outside the Standard Model.
Publication: Published in Reports in Advances of Physical Sciences in 2025.
Caveat: The theory is new and requires experimental verification.

It might sound strange or even nonsense at first to say you could move sideways or up and down in time, because we usually think of time as just a one-way arrow moving forward. An example of moving “sideways” in time using the 3D time theory is imagining that you are walking forward along the usual timeline—experiencing moments one after another as normal. Now, picture another timeline crossing yours at a right angle, like a path going sideways. If you could step onto this sideways timeline while staying at the same “moment” in your usual forward time, you might encounter a slightly different version of events—like an alternate outcome of the same day. This sideways movement in time doesn’t mean going back or forward in the usual sense, but exploring parallel possibilities or different “branches” of time that coexist alongside the main one. So, moving sideways in time is like shifting into a parallel timeline where things are similar but not exactly the same, allowing you to explore different outcomes without reversing or speeding up normal time.

While the concept of multiple time dimensions has floated in theoretical physics before, Kletetschka’s model is the first to closely match known properties of the universe, including the masses of fundamental particles like electrons and quarks. His framework treats these three time dimensions as the fundamental fabric of reality—more fundamental even than space, which becomes a kind of “paint” layered atop this temporal canvas.

This fresh perspective could help explain why quantum mechanics and relativity seem so fundamentally different, by assigning distinct “directions” of time to different physical phenomena—from the unpredictable flicker of quantum particles to the slow unfolding of cosmic history.

Intriguingly, the theory also predicts neutrino masses and subtle variations in gravitational wave speeds, offering testable avenues for future experiments.

Though still in its infancy, this three-dimensional time framework challenges us to rethink the very nature of reality. If validated, it could pave the way toward the elusive “Theory of Everything” physicists have long sought.

The study was published in Reports in Advances of Physical Sciences in 2025.

How Can I Move Sideways in Time?

Moving “sideways” in time, according to the 3D time theory, means shifting from one timeline or outcome to a parallel one that crosses the usual forward flow of time, rather than moving backward or forward along the same timeline. However, in practice, we currently have no known way or technology to physically move sideways in time like we move in space. The theory imagines these sideways directions as additional time dimensions where different versions of events exist simultaneously, and stepping sideways would mean transitioning to a different possible outcome of the same moment. This is a conceptual model to help explain complex physics problems, not a practical ability we can perform or observe yet. So, moving sideways in time is more like changing which branch of possible events you experience rather than traveling through time like a vehicle on a road[3][4].

Ten Fundamental Understandings Essential for Grasping Science

The Science Whereby Electromagnetic Radiation (EMF) Causes Organ Damage

Dirty Electricity From Solar-Generation: Scope and Impact