Time Inside and Outside an Informational Markov Blanket/ Boundary
It from Bit
Spacetime Emerges from Changing Relationships (Entanglement) within and across the boundary
from Google AI:
In modern theoretical physics, the idea that gravity is an emergent phenomenon arising directly from quantum entanglement is one of the most prominent frameworks for understanding the universe. [1, 2] While it remains an unproven mathematical theory, it has completely shifted how physicists approach the unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity. Instead of viewing gravity as a fundamental "force" that needs to be chopped up into particles (gravitons), this school of thought treats gravity as a secondary macroscopic byproduct—much like how inflation or temperature isn't a property of a single atom, but rather emerges from the collective behavior of countless atoms. [1, 2, 3, 4] 1. The Holographic Principle and "Spacetime from Bits"
The foundation for this idea lies in the Holographic Principle and the AdS/CFT correspondence discovered by Juan Maldacena. [1, 2] - Mathematically, physicists can model a universe where a 3D bulk space containing gravity is entirely projected by a 2D boundary of quantum particles that do not experience gravity. [1]
- When the quantum particles on the 2D boundary become deeply entangled, they form intricate networks of quantum data. [1]
- The math shows that the geometric structure of the 3D space—and the way objects move through it—is just a visual translation of that entanglement. If you destroy the quantum entanglement on the boundary, the geometric fabric of space and gravity in the bulk completely collapses. [1]
2. ER = EPR (Wormholes equal Entanglement)
Proposed by Leonard Susskind and Juan Maldacena, ER = EPR posits that the geometry of space and quantum connections are the exact same thing. [1, 2] - ER (Einstein-Rosen Bridges): Wormholes or tunnels connecting distant points in space via gravity.
- EPR (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox): Quantum entanglement, where two distant particles are instantly linked.
- The Conjecture: The framework suggests that if two particles are quantum entangled (EPR), they are actually connected by a microscopic, subatomic wormhole (ER). Gravity and physical distance are simply macroscopic manifestations of how these microscopic quantum links are woven together. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
3. Entropic and Coded Gravity
Other mainstream variations of emergent gravity approach the problem from different angles:
- Entropic Gravity: Proposed by Erik Verlinde, this theory treats gravity as an "entropic force" rather than a fundamental field. As quantum information changes and entropy shifts, it pushes matter around, creating the macroscopic illusion of gravitational pull. [1, 2]
- Quantum Error Correction: Recent breakthroughs view spacetime as a giant Quantum Error-Correcting Code (QECC). In this view, gravity is the physical manifestation of the system trying to protect and rearrange quantum information across its network. [1, 2, 3]
The Ultimate Catch: Is it true for our Universe?
While the mathematics for these frameworks is highly precise and beautiful, it has a major limitation: it is currently calculated inside idealized, toy model universes (specifically, anti-de Sitter space, which has a negative cosmological constant and bends differently than ours). [1] Our real universe is expanding and flat/positively curved (de Sitter space). Physicists are actively working to translate these emergent-gravity mathematics into a model that matches our actual night sky, but for now, it remains a brilliant, mathematically robust hypothesis rather than an experimentally proven fact.
