A University of Queensland-led international team of researchers say they have discovered "a new kind of quantum time order."
UQ physicist Dr Magdalena Zych said the discovery arose from an experiment the team designed to bring together elements of the two big -- but contradictory -- physics theories developed in the past century.
"Our proposal sought to discover: what happens when an object massive enough to influence the flow of time is placed in a quantum state?" Dr Zych said.
She said Einstein's theory described how the presence of a massive object slowed time.
"Imagine two space ships, asked to fire at each other at a specified time while dodging the other's attack," she said.
"If either fires too early, it will destroy the other."