{{short description|Hypothetical quantum of time}} A '''chronon''' is a proposed quantum of time, that is, a discrete and indivisible "unit" of time as part of a hypothesis that proposes that time is not continuous. In simple language, a chronon is the smallest, discrete, non-decomposable unit of time.
In a one-dimensional model, a chronon is a ''time interval'' or ''period'', while in an ''n''-dimensional model it is a non-decomposable region in ''n''-dimensional time.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
== Early work == While time is a continuous quantity in both standard quantum mechanics and general relativity, some physicists have suggested that a discrete model of time might work, especially when considering the combination of quantum mechanics with general relativity to produce a theory of quantum gravity.{{citation needed|date=December 2025}}
The term was introduced in this sense by Robert Lévi in 1927.<ref>Lévi 1927</ref>
== Notes == {{reflist}}
== References == * {{cite journal | last = Lévi | first = Robert | title = Théorie de l'action universelle et discontinue | journal = Journal de Physique et le Radium | volume = 8 | pages = 182–198 | year = 1927 | doi = 10.1051/jphysrad:0192700804018200 | issue = 4| s2cid = 96677036 | url = https://hal.science/jpa-00205289 }}
== External links == * https://www.britannica.com/technology/chronon
{{Time Topics}} {{time measurement and standards}}
Category:Quantum gravity Category:Units of time