Visualizations and Extrapolations 2

Does the Speed of Light Limit

the Propagation of Information?

Professor Emeritus has stated emphatically that there can be no Universal Cosmic Consciousness since information cannot propagate faster than the speed of light. The argument goes that the cosmological event horizon of the observable universe is a spherical shell approximately 50 billion light years in radius. Since information propagates at the speed of light, as does electromagnetism, communication would be very slow. Not only that, the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate and celestial information sources are slipping beyond the event horizon. These are conclusions from state of the art quantum physics.

The temporal discrepancy between photon emission at the cosmic event horizon and the observer is obvious to the point of negating the possibility of conscious information exchange at a cosmic level. When we look at the Cosmological Event Horizon we are looking back in time. Consciousness, as information encoded in light, would have been radiated at the very beginning of the universe and propagated toward the observer for the entire age of the universe.

Is this recalcitrant perspective necessarily so? Maybe not. There are numerous considerations in which a Universal Cosmic Consciousness is not only possible but is a fundamental feature and an essential characteristic of Quantum Field Theory.

The exact age of the universe is not precisely determined but the best estimates are that it is about 13.7 billion years. This estimate is based on observations of distant stars and of the Cosmic Microwave Background. If the cosmological event horizon is 100 billion years across, does this mean that something is traveling faster than the speed of light? Or is it because the Universe has expanded by a factor of a thousand? Is the assumption that “information propagation has a limit at the speed of light” only a new physics reformulation of Newton’s Law of Inertia, with much faster billiard balls.?

This postulated limitation at light speed is surely a Materialist viewpoint. It is trivially true at the level of classical, relativistic, or even quantum mechanics. One way to render the limitation unnecessary is to invoke an ethereal realm such as Panpsychism or Panspiritualism. However, it is not proposed that Cosmic Consciousness exists only in an astral realm but is inherent in the most fundamental concepts of Quantum Field Theory.

Time is treated the same as space in physics, a four-dimensional “space-time”. The key to realizing and understanding the concept of Cosmic Consciousness lies outside the temporal realm. Our linear sense of time is illusory, created by the human mind to impose order on its world. The idea that time passes, that there is a past-present-future, or a before/after relationship is an observer effect. Kant reduced Space and Time to “categories”. Einstein showed that time is relative to speed and gravity. The conclusion that information propagation is limited by the speed of light has its roots in causality and time.

At the subatomic, quantum level, fundamental interaction processes are reversible and events can occur simultaneously. Time becomes a two-way street at the Planck dimension, with a moment of synchronicity in which causation is meaningless. The future affects the past and vice versa. That ‘Now” moment of synchronicity embodies fundamental interconnectedness with the universe. It is well within the capabilities of human perception and cognition to enter into and participate in the “Now” moment. That is Consciousness participating with the totality of the Universe.

The “light speed” argument against the possibility of a Universal Cosmic Consciousness is based on the physics at the upper limit of cosmology. One variation of Mach’s Principle is that local physical laws are determined by the large-scale structure of the universe. The microcosm and macrocosm are structurally the same. Is it possible that Professor Emeritus is looking through the wrong end of the telescope? Galaxies are bound together by gravity; Atoms are pictured as miniature Solar Systems.

Deep down at the subatomic level is a turbulent quantum foam of which all solid matter consists. Per classical physics, the motion of all elementary particles in the foam would cease at the temperature of Absolute Zero. This would be a violation of the Uncertainty Principle since the position and momentum of elementary particles would be knowable. In Quantum Field Theory, there is always residual motion of particles, and rippling of waves, even if it is of innitesimal intensity. By adding up the innitesimal energies of all quantum events in the universe, a vast and magnicent Zero Point Energy Field emerges as the underlying universal feature from which everything everywhere and every-when originates.

Zero Point Energy is present in the emptiest state of space at the lowest possible level of particle/wave interaction. The residual vibrations are due to “virtual particles” that are created and annihilated instantaneously. These Virtual Particles pop in and out of existence in pairs of opposing charges which cancel each other. Virtual particle energy exchange is in accord with the Uncertainty principle. Elementary particles and waves interact by exchanging energy through the Zero Point Field. Formerly considered a Vacuum State, the Zero Point Field is a teeming coalescence of interpenetrating subatomic matter and energy. Zero Point Energy is omnipresent from the ground state at Absolute Zero to the most excited state at the Speed of Light.

Quantum non-locality, or “spooky action at a distance” can be accounted for in terms of the Zero Point Energy Field. If you are watching sand castles being washed out without knowing about ocean waves you might think that one castle inexplicably affects the other. Similarly, if Zero Point Energy Field uctuation is the underlying interaction between quantum entities, non-locality becomes an observer effect. Application of the fundamental structures of Quantum Field Theory on a macro scale is a breakthrough toward understanding the role of consciousness in creating the Universe.

The most conclusive evidence that information can be encoded in interference patterns of light waves is Holography. Bank cards have reective holograms with two dimensions, art museums display three-dimensional imagery from two coherent light sources. The most interesting aspect of holography is that content is encoded into every division of a hologram. As with fractals and CD/DVD media, all information of the whole is retained within and is reproducible from each of the parts. This feature of information may be universal. The proposal that the universe as we know it is holographic was given serious consideration a few years ago.

A “Field” in electromagnetism consists of forces and vibrations resulting from a decit or surplus of electric charges. Quantum fields are not mediated by forces but by constant, dynamic energy exchange and constant redistribution of complex waves. Fluctuations in the sub-atomic Zero Point Energy Field are produced by the emission and absorption of virtual particles popping in and out of existence. Virtual Particles, like dark matter and dark energy, cannot be observed but are detected by having observable effects: producing wave packets of light known as photons.

Observer effects are especially prominent in quantum physics where observation and uncertainty are fundamental. The idea that mere observation can produce change may be counter-intuitive, but to measure a particle, one must make a wave “collapse”. While the physical effects of observation may be negligible, the object still undergoes or experiences a change. Not only does the observer bring about physical perturbation, but biases of perception, cognition, and expectation also are brought to bear. Observers are conscious participants in anything they observe. As such, an observer, even Professor Emeritus, is perpetrating Cosmic Consciousness.

Just as there is particulate matter, cosmic rays, dark matter, and dark energy in the space between galaxies, space-time is not a true void at the subatomic microcosmic level. An electromagnetic ocean extends from the cosmic event horizon to the infinitesimal sub-atomic level. All things and events are interconnected, all matter and all energy are focused structures of quantum “particle-waves”.

Quantum interference patterns of light waves can store and propagate Information as amplitude or binary wave-function algorithms of probability. The information encoded in the Zero Point Energy Field is not just a little “bit”. It is a Universal Compendium of things events, facts, feelings, and most of all: Cosmic Consciousness.

Professor Emeritus is correct: Materialistic and causality-induced propagation of information is theoretically limited by the speed of light, eliminating the possibility of Universal Cosmic Consciousness. However, by understanding the omnipresence of the Zero Point Energy Field and the vast compendium of information contained in the percolating quantum foam, the possibility of synchronous information exchange between remote realms becomes a probability. That probability is evidence of Cosmic Consciousness.

What was once considered empty space, a void, or a vacuum is in reality a plenum having interconnections with everything there is in the Universe. Aristotle introduced the concept of “aether” as an interstellar medium to Western Philosophy. James Clerk Maxwell proposed an Ether-Vortex theory which was espoused by Lord Kelvin. The greatest “failed” experiment in history, by Michelson and Morley, consigned Ether-Vortex Theory to the dustbin of science – at least temporarily. Quantum Field Theory postulates the Zero Point Energy Field as an interactive medium between elementary particles and waves. Physicist Paul Dirac has suggested that the Zero Point Energy Field is the quantum physics equivalent of Ether.

It was Nikola Tesla who famously said: “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration”. Tesla revived the ancient concept of the fifth element, or quintessence, later known as “luminiferous aether”, as a physical medium through which light propagates. Tesla invoked a space-lining “original medium” force field to explain the ability of vibrational energy to travel through space. Tesla asserted that this fundamental force field becomes matter when vibrational energy acts upon it and reverts to energy when vibrations cease.

The philosophical traditions of many indigenous cultures, including Native American and Australian Aborigines, feature an omnipresent spirituality that interacts with their everyday lives. The “Life Force” Chi energy of ancient Chinese wisdom, the “Spirit Energy” of Vedic and Yogic tradition, and “The Tao” are precedents of philosophies and religions which posit a Field of Energy which is in harmony with the universe. Conceptual similarities too numerous to document exist in disciplines such as Sociology; Economics; Ecology; Information Theory and even Artificial Intelligence. A method of truth approximation known as “Consilience of Induction” holds that evidence from multiple independent, unrelated sources can “converge” upon a strong conclusion.

Perhaps “Propagation of Information limited by Light-Speed” in contrast to “Instantaneous Energy and Information Exchange” marks the distinction between a supercomputer having artificial intelligence and a sentient being having both analytical and emotional intelligence. A supercomputer scanning radiant energy at a mechanistic level pales in comparison to the sentient having two-way sensory and awareness capabilities: one being neuro-electrical and the other bio-chemical.

Perhaps taking the analogy of computer networking to the galactic or universal level goes too far. Human neuro-electrical information sensing may operate like a quantum computer while bio-chemical molecular arrays may be requisite for simple awareness and complex emotive/affective response. In this scenario, empathy, altruism, and love are quantum attributes. The Gaia hypothesis, in which the Earth is conceived of as a living organism, can easily be extrapolated to galactic dimensions and beyond through quantum entanglement.

NikolaiTesla was right. The Zero Point Energy Field is a vast repository of energy and information encoded in vibrations of light. All things, facts, and events are interconnected through frequency and vibration in the Zero Point Energy Field. While we may only know our own consciousness, accessibility to information encoded in the Zero Point Energy Field is available to sentient beings at all levels of complexity.

By looking at underlying interactions at the zero-point ground state of matter rather than the hyper-kinetic upper limit of light and energy, instantaneous and synchronous communication of information over galactic, even universal distances is highly probable. Rather than being excluded due to speed of light limitations, Cosmic Consciousness is a primary feature of the Universe and is predicted by Quantum Field Theory.

Fred Jay Ross

fredjayross@gmail.com

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Visualizations and Extrapolations 1

What is the Popular Understanding of Infinity?

Visualizations and Extrapolations 2

Does the Speed of Light Limit the Propagation of Information?

Visualizations and Extrapolations 3

Schrodinger’s Lottery Ticket

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Living on the Cusp

Visualizations and Extrapolations 5