SPECIAL RELATIVITY DERIVED FROM CELLULAR AUTOMATA THEORY:

The origin of the universal speed limit

Tom Ostoma and Mike Trushyk

48 O’HARA PLACE, Brampton, Ontario, L6Y 3R8

Monday, October 05, 1998

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We wish to thank R. Mongrain (P.Eng) for our lengthy conversations on the nature of space, time, light, matter, and CA theory. Also, special thanks goes to L. Walker for his help in proof reading this document.

ABSTRACT

A new formulation of special relativity is described. It is based on a postulate that the universe is a vast Cellular Automata (CA), (ref. 2,3,4). It is also based on a new theory of inertia (ref. 5) proposed by R. Haisch, A. Rueda, and H. Puthoff, which we modified, and called Quantum Inertia (QI). In our theory of Quantum Inertia, we found that Newtonian Inertia is due to the strictly local electromagnetic force interactions of matter (quantum particles) with the surrounding charged virtual (matter) particles of the quantum vacuum. The sum of all the tiny electromagnetic forces originating from each charged particle in the mass with respect to the vacuum, is the source of the total inertial force of the mass which opposes accelerated motion in Newton’s law ‘F = MA’. Thus, QI resolves the problems and paradoxes of accelerated motion introduced in Mach’s principle by suggesting that the state of acceleration of the charged virtual particles of the quantum vacuum with respect to the mass serves as Newton’s universal reference frame (which Newton called ‘absolute’ space). The (net statistical) acceleration of the (charged) virtual particles of the quantum vacuum can be used as an absolute reference frame to gauge inertial mass. Therefore this frame can be used to define both absolute acceleration and absolute mass, which is equivalent to the relativistic rest mass. However, this frame cannot be used to gauge the absolute state of motion of an inertial reference frame. Thus Einstein’s principle of relativity is still applicable for inertial frames (frames of constant velocity motion, or where Newton’s law of inertia applies). The special relativistic treatment of inertial force, acceleration, and inertial mass is revised here to acknowledge the existence of absolute mass. We found that the special relativistic variation of mass with relative velocity m = m0 (1 – v2/c2)–1/2 is actually caused by the decrease in the effectiveness of the applied force, where the applied force and destination mass have a large relative velocity ‘v’. We show that this decrease of the applied force in the reference frame of the moving mass is caused by a relativistic timing effect of the received force exchange particles, which alters the received flux rate of the force exchange bosons.

Minkowski 4D space-time is a simple consequence of the behavior of matter (elementary particles) and light (photons) on the Cellular Automata. At the tiniest quantum distance scales there exists a kind of secondary (quantized) absolute 3D space and separate absolute (quantized) time, as required by CA theory. This is represented by a rectangular 3D array of numbers or cells; C(x,y,z). These cells change state after every new CA clock operation D t. The array of numbers C(x,y,z) is called CA space, which acts like the Newtonian version of Cartesian absolute space. There also exists a separate absolute time needed to evolve the numerical state of the CA. 3D CA space and time are not effected by any physical interactions, and are also not accessible through direct measurement. In CA space, the Plank distance (1.6 x 10-35 meters) scale roughly corresponds to the minimum event distance (or cell ‘size’), and Plank time scale (5.4 x 10-44 sec) to the minimum time interval possible. We show that any CA model automatically leads to a maximum speed limit for the transfer of information from place to place in CA space, and hence leads to strict physical locality of all physical interactions. Furthermore, we show that the Lorentz transformation follows mathematically from CA theory, where photon propagation is postulated to be the simply shifting of the photon information pattern from cell to adjacent cell in every CA 'clock cycle' (which incidently is simplest possible CA 'motion'). Minkowski 4D flat space-time of special relativity can be seen as the direct consequence of the low level universal CA processes, as seen by inertial observers with ordinary measuring instruments, and who are not aware of, and cannot measure with the true absolute units of CA space and time.

Download