Is our reality a computer simulation? A new law of physics could prove Elon Musk right

A new study explores the simulation universe hypothesis and its implications for science and technology.

a University of Portsmouth A physicist has discovered whether a new law of physics can support the much-discussed theory that we are merely characters in an advanced virtual world.

The simulated universe hypothesis proposes that what humans experience is actually an artificial reality, much like computer simulations, in which they themselves are constructs.

This theory is very popular among a number of well-known figures including Elon Musk, and in a branch of science known as information physics, which suggests that physical reality consists mainly of bits of information.

Dr. Fopson’s pioneering findings

Dr. Fopson has a history of pioneering research. He had previously published a study suggesting that information has mass and that all elementary particles – the smallest known building blocks in the universe – store information about themselves, similar to the way humans store it. DNA.

In 2022, he discovered a new law of physics that can predict genetic mutations in living organisms, including viruses, and help judge their likely consequences.

It is based on the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy—a measure of disorder in an isolated system—can only increase or remain the same.

Dr. Fopson predicted that entropy in information systems would also increase over time, but upon examining the evolution of these systems he realized that it remained constant or decreased. That’s when he created the second law of information dynamics, or infodynamics, which could greatly influence genetics research and the theory of evolution.

Applications and effects

A new paper was published on October 6 AIP offersstudies the scientific implications of the new law on a number of other physical systems and environments, including biological and atomic physics and cosmology.

“What I wanted to do next was to test the law and see if it could further support the simulation hypothesis by moving it from the philosophical realm into mainstream science.”
— Dr Melvin Fopson, University School of Mathematics and Physics

Dr. Fopson, from the university’s School of Mathematics and Physics, said: “I knew then that this discovery had far-reaching implications across various scientific disciplines.

“What I wanted to do next was to test the law and see if it could further support the simulation hypothesis by moving it from the philosophical realm into mainstream science.”

Key findings include:

• Biological systems: The second law of information dynamics challenges the traditional understanding of genetic mutations, suggesting that they follow a pattern governed by the entropy of information. This discovery has profound implications in fields such as genetic research, evolutionary biology, gene therapies, pharmacology, virology, and epidemiological surveillance.
• Atomic physics: This paper explains the behavior of electrons in multielectronic atoms, providing insight into phenomena such as Hund’s rule; Which states that the maximum multiplicity lies at the lowest energy. Electrons arrange themselves in a way that minimizes their information entropy, shedding light on atomic physics and the stability of chemicals.
• Cosmology: The second law of thermodynamics turns out to be a universal necessity, with the application of thermodynamic considerations to the steadily expanding universe supporting its validity.

“The paper also provides an explanation for the prevalence of symmetry in the universe,” Dr. Fopson explained.

“Symmetry principles play an important role in relation to the laws of nature, but until now there has been little explanation as to why this is so. My findings show that high symmetry corresponds to a state of lowest information entropy, which may explain nature’s tendency toward it.”

“This approach, where redundant information is removed, is similar to the process of a computer deleting or compressing missing code to save storage space and improve power consumption. As a result, it supports the idea that we are living in a simulation.”

Connecting information to the fabric of the universe

Previous research by Dr. Fopson suggests that information is the fundamental building block of the universe and has physical mass. He even claims that information could be the dark matter that makes up nearly a third of the universe, which he calls the principle of equivalence of mass, energy, and information.

The paper argues that the second law of information dynamics provides support for this principle, which may validate the idea that information is a physical entity, equivalent to mass and energy.

Dr Fopson added: “The next steps to complete these studies require experimental testing.”

“One possible way would be My experiment last year was designed to confirm the fifth state of matter into the universe – and change physics as we know it – using particle and antiparticle collisions.

Reference: “The Second Law of Informatic Dynamics and Its Implications for the Simulation Universe Hypothesis” by Melvin M. Fobson, October 6, 2023, AIP offers.
doi: 10.1063/5.0173278