For greater than a century, physics has been constructed on two nice theories. Einstein’s common relativity explains gravity because the bending of house and time. Quantum mechanics governs the world of particles and fields. Each work brilliantly in their very own domains. However put them collectively and contradictions seem—particularly in relation to black holes, darkish matter, darkish power, and the origins of the cosmos.
My colleagues and I’ve been exploring a new option to bridge that divide. The concept is to deal with info—not matter, not power, not even spacetime itself—as probably the most elementary ingredient of actuality. We name this framework the quantum reminiscence matrix (QMM).
At its core is a straightforward however highly effective declare: Spacetime just isn’t clean, however discrete—product of tiny “cells,” which is what quantum mechanics suggests. Every cell can retailer a quantum imprint of each interplay, just like the passage of a particle and even the affect of a power comparable to electromagnetism or nuclear interactions, that passes via. Every occasion leaves behind a tiny change within the native quantum state of the spacetime cell.
In different phrases, the universe doesn’t simply evolve. It remembers.
The story begins with the black gap info paradox. In keeping with relativity, something that falls right into a black gap is gone eternally. In keeping with quantum principle, that’s inconceivable. Data can’t ever be destroyed.
QMM presents a method out. As matter falls in, the encircling spacetime cells report its imprint. When the black gap ultimately evaporates, the knowledge just isn’t misplaced. It has already been written into spacetime’s reminiscence.
This mechanism is captured mathematically by what we name the imprint operator, a reversible rule that makes info conservation work out. At first, we utilized this to gravity. However then we requested: What in regards to the different forces of nature? It seems they match the identical image.
In our fashions assuming that spacetime cells exist, the robust and weak nuclear forces, which maintain atomic nuclei collectively, additionally depart traces in spacetime. Later, we prolonged the framework to electromagnetism (though this paper is at present being peer reviewed). Even a easy electrical area adjustments the reminiscence state of spacetime cells.
Explaining Darkish Matter and Darkish Power
That led us to a broader precept that we name the geometry-information duality. On this view, the form of spacetime is influenced not simply by mass and power, as Einstein taught us, but in addition by how quantum info is distributed, particularly via entanglement. Entanglement is a quantum characteristic by which two particles, for instance, might be spookily related, that means that for those who change the state of 1, you routinely and instantly additionally change the opposite—even when it’s mild years away.
This shift in perspective has dramatic penalties. In a single research, at present beneath peer evaluate, we discovered that clumps of imprints behave similar to darkish matter, an unknown substance that makes up a lot of the matter within the universe. They cluster beneath gravity and clarify the movement of galaxies—which seem to orbit at unexpectedly excessive speeds—while not having any unique new particles.
In one other, we confirmed how darkish power may emerge too. When spacetime cells are saturated, they can’t report new, unbiased info. As a substitute, they contribute to a residual power of spacetime. Apparently, this leftover contribution has the identical mathematical kind because the “cosmological fixed,” or darkish power, which is making the universe develop at an accelerated price.
Its measurement matches the noticed darkish power that drives cosmic acceleration. Collectively, these outcomes counsel that darkish matter and darkish power could also be two sides of the identical informational coin.
A Cyclic Universe?
But when spacetime has finite reminiscence, what occurs when it fills up? Our newest cosmological paper, accepted for publication in The Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, factors to a cyclic universe—being born and dying again and again. Every cycle of enlargement and contraction deposits extra entropy—a measure of dysfunction—into the ledger. When the certain is reached, the universe “bounces” into a brand new cycle.
Reaching the certain means spacetime’s info capability (entropy) is maxed out. At that time, contraction can’t proceed easily. The equations present that as an alternative of collapsing to a singularity, the saved entropy drives a reversal, resulting in a brand new section of enlargement. That is what we describe as a “bounce.”
By evaluating the mannequin to observational information, we estimate that the universe has already gone via three or 4 cycles of enlargement and contraction, with fewer than 10 remaining. After the remaining cycles are accomplished, the informational capability of spacetime can be absolutely saturated. At that time, no additional bounces happen. As a substitute, the universe would enter a last section of slowing enlargement.
That makes the true “informational age” of the cosmos about 62 billion years, not simply the 13.8 billion years of our present enlargement.
To date, this may sound purely theoretical. However we have now already examined elements of QMM on as we speak’s quantum computer systems. We handled qubits, the fundamental models of quantum computer systems, as tiny spacetime cells. Utilizing imprint and retrieval protocols primarily based on the QMM equations, we recovered the unique quantum states with over 90 p.c accuracy.
This confirmed us two issues. First, that the imprint operator works on actual quantum methods. Second, it has sensible advantages. By combining imprinting with typical error-correction codes, we considerably decreased logical errors. Meaning QMM won’t solely clarify the cosmos, but in addition assist us construct higher quantum computer systems.
QMM reframes the universe as each a cosmic reminiscence financial institution and a quantum pc. Each occasion, each power, each particle leaves an imprint that shapes the evolution of the cosmos. It ties collectively a number of the deepest puzzles in physics, from the knowledge paradox to darkish matter and darkish power, from cosmic cycles to the arrow of time.
And it does so in a method that may already be simulated and examined within the lab. Whether or not QMM proves to be the ultimate phrase or a stepping stone, it opens a startling risk: The universe might not solely be geometry and power. It is usually reminiscence. And in that reminiscence, each second of cosmic historical past should still be written.
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