tempores

Tempores are a fictional unit of temporal duration that appear in speculative physics discussions and science fiction. They are conceived as the smallest indivisible blocks of time, akin to how the Planck length is conceived in certain quantum gravity models.

Definition and properties: In many treatments, tempores are defined as a fixed duration that cannot be subdivided by physical processes. Some models treat tempores as absolute, while others allow their length to vary with observer motion or gravitational potential, echoing relativistic time dilation.

Origins and usage: The term tempores was popularized in thought experiments and various fictional works to explore questions about time discreteness, causality, and the possibility of temporal quantization. In these contexts, tempores can constrain the minimum timing of events and influence the perceived rate of physical processes.

Scientific status: Tempores are not established in mainstream physics. No experimental evidence confirms time quantization at a fundamental scale, and many theories retain continuous time. The concept remains a speculative tool for modeling and storytelling.

See also: Planck time, Chronon, Time dilation, Quantum gravity.