Quantum Information and the Emergence of Space

Gravity governs the classical mechanics of the universe. It causes matter and energy to warp space, with objects following paths of least resistance through that bending and warping of space. But what if gravity isn’t fundamental, but instead emerges from some deeper meaning or process?

The holographic principle provides a framework for understanding quantum gravity, offering a potential reconciliation between quantum theory and general relativity. In such a theory, one takes a two-dimensional surface encoded with information. The information on that surface, existing in a lower-dimensional area, can describe the three-dimensional world we live in. That two-dimensional surface does not necessarily contain gravity as we experience it, but rather a collection of degrees of freedom connected to entropy.

So, if gravity is not fundamental, but emergent from some deeper meaning or process, how does it exist at all? One can only theorize.

Instead of gravity forming the structure of matter in the universe, I propose that the correlations and relationships of quantum information on some two-dimensional surface area create the structure of the visible universe.

Is it possible that the universe knew its structure before it manifested in three dimensions over time? Is the universe somehow conscious of itself, or does the human experience shape the universe? These statements are mere speculation and somewhat off topic, yet they are questions I have thought about. Nonetheless, we continue.

Within these theories of quantum gravity, could quantum information and its degrees of freedom connect through entanglement, in which quantum states become correlated and share a relationship with one another?

The tricky part is understanding how these connections behave over distance. Do they diminish, or do they extend beyond what we perceive as spatial separation?

The patterns of connectivity establish relationships across regions of space on this two-dimensional boundary. Those relationships could behave like spatial distances and connections. From those relationships, three-dimensional space could emerge, forming the universe we live in and experience.

But what does that say about the Big Bang theory?

The standard model of cosmology describes the universe as having evolved from an extremely hot, dense state of matter and radiation. But what if the early universe began as a highly concentrated quantum-information state, and the three-dimensional universe emerged as that information reorganized into a new geometric structure?

Some will ask: If the universe began as a single quantum state of immense density, why wouldn’t it collapse into itself and form a black hole rather than expand outward?

I suppose there must be a limit at which the density, energy, and organization of such a state would need to be calculated to determine what would be required to prevent collapse and promote expansion.

Nonetheless, we arrive at a crossroads. The burning question is whether information creates space or describes it.

Suppose we have two possibilities:

Model A: Space is fundamental.

Space exists independently, and quantum information describes the physical processes occurring within it.

Model B: Space is emergent.

Quantum information is more fundamental, and space arises from the organization and relationships between quantum states.

My mind draws toward the former rather than the latter.

In this framework, gravity would not necessarily be responsible for creating three-dimensional space. Instead, gravity could emerge alongside space as a consequence of the underlying quantum structure.

Although this idea sounds promising, there are many gaps in such a theory. For example, what is the information encoded in? How does it evolve, and how does its structure produce measurable geometry?

My earlier idea conceptualized three basic principles:

• A two-dimensional boundary containing quantum information.
• Entanglement establishing relationships between information states.
• Those relationships giving rise to geometry and curvature in a higher-dimensional universe.

This leaves us with one last question: Could the density and organization of quantum information determine the emergence of space, matter, and the curvature of the universe?

In the end, this idea only concerns gravity, the weakest of the four fundamental forces of nature.

How do the other forces emerge from a set of quantum information encoded on a lower-dimensional boundary? Is the Higgs field emergent or fundamental to the universe as a whole?

No one truly knows, but it is interesting to think about.