452 Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.

) 6 (1989) 452 -454

North-Holland, Amsterdam

SPACETIME AND MATTER IN CELLULARAUTOMATONFRAMEWORK

Simon Y. BERKOVICH

Dept. of EE & CS, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA

According to the presented model the whole richness of the physical world condenses in one plain
sentence: "All physical phenomena are d i f f e r e n t aspects of the high-level description of the
d i s t r i b u t e d processes of mutual synchronization in a network of d i g i t a l clocks". Properties of
the synchro formations e x h i b i t i n g quantum mechanics behavior of elementary p a r t i c l e s in r e l a t i -
v i s t i c spacetime continuum are o u t l i n e d .

1. INTRODUCTIONOF THE MODEL a certain non-Markovian stochastic process

The e x i s t i n g theories describing numerous
aspects of the physical world employ a v a r i e t y
of d i f f e r e n t assumptions so that an approach to
the general theory through gradual u n i f i c a t i o n
of such d i s t i n c t concepts may be inadequate.
Instead, one may expect to reveal the under-
lying mechanism of Nature in the form of a
simple c e l l u l a r automaton. Our analysis I has
shown that a d i s t r i b u t e d mecahnism of mutual
synchronization can f u l f i l l these expectations.
C e l l u l a r automaton - a discrete dynamic
system with a d i s t r i b u t e d control - can be seen
as a uniform grid of p r i m i t i v e c e l l s whose
states evolve in successive steps according to
a certain local t r a n s i t i o n rule 2. This notion
is very general and can incorporate t r a d i t i o n a l
models in discrete or continuous formulation.
However, to design in a formal way a c e l l u -
l a r automaton rule to meet the desired speci-
f i c a t i o n s f o r a complex system is a p r a c t i c a l l y
impossible task. The proposed model was dis-
covered by v i r t u e of our attempts to develop
a r e a l i s t i c scheme f o r quantum t r a n s i t i o n s .
Tr a d i t i o n a l considerations of "hidden" v a r i -
ables f o r quantum mechanics seem to have omit-
ted one l o g i c a l p o s s i b i l i t y : the usage of in-
formation pre-processing in a medium with the
properties of short-term memory. In this case
the path integral formalism can be emulated by
p a r t i c u l a r i z i n g a t r a j e c t o r y to be retained f or
a moment of t r a n s i t i o n . This process can be
supported by a network of d i g i t a l clocks main-
t a in in g mutual synchronization through a dis-
t r i b u t e d mechanism of weighted phase averaging.
Due to the cardinal role of quantum mecahnics
this construction has reached beyond i t s imme-
diate objective. I f the presented concept is
true, then t h e o r e t i c a l physics is a study of
certain unusual aspects of mutual synchroni-
zation. H e u r i s t i c a l l y speaking, this mechanism
is an ideal candidate f o r r e a l i z a t i o n of the
major physical process of creating "something
out of nothing". The synchro formations as
unconventional objects have p o t e n t i a l s to
express the c o u n t e r - i n t u i t i v e behavior of e l e -
mentary p a r t i c l e s of matter and t h e i r great
variability.
2. ANALYTICAL DESCRIPTION
The p r i m i t i v e element of the model, a
d i g i t a l clock, is a c i r c u l a r counter. The net-
work of these elements can be approximated by
a continuous medium of i n t e r a c t i n g o s c i l l a t o r s
characterized by a phase 0 with mod 27 opera-
tions. Assuming symmetry, the equation des-
cribing processes of mutual synchronization
employs only even order-space d e r i v a t i v e s :
De = -be + Dz~e + D2A2e + (mod 2~), (I)
3t "'"

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 S. Y. Berkovich / Spacetime and matter in a cellular automation framework
Here DI, and D2, are the phase diffusion co-
e f f i c i e n t s reflecting influences of neighbors
of the f i r s t layer, second layer, etc; b is a
small coefficient reflecting strong self-
influence; A is the Laplace operator, A2 is a
fourth order symmetric d i f f e r e n t i a l operator.
The equation (1) looks l i k e a conventional
parabolic-type equation and i t is d i f f i c u l t to
imagine that i t can provide all the features
of the physical world. However, this may
happen because of periodicity and discretiza-
tion of the phase variable which make possible
non-dissipating circulations,
3. THE ORIGIN OF SPACETIMEAND MATTER
In addition to the conventional diffusion-
l i k e spreading of phase equation ( I ) has
"traveling wave" solutions in the form of pro-
pelling helicoidal kernels. The physical
world is composed of both types of solutions:
the l a t t e r represent the material world, the
former constitute i t s operational background.
The propelling kernels establish metric
standards of length, I s, and duration, t s, for
the discrete topological structure of the net-
work which are the extension and duration cor-
responding to the f u l l reverse of phase, 2~.
This determines the radius and the rotational
speed of the kernels. An additional r e s t r i c -
tion on the propelling kernels is the congruity
of phase changes in the course of propagation
and rotation which imposes an upper bound on
the speed of kernels, v, treated as the speed
of l i g h t , c:
< i
s
v ts - c, (2)
Self-oscillations due to kernels propaga-
tion disturb the surroundings and generate
secondary synchro excitations representing
matter in harmony with the notion of super-
strings. The choice of the sense of kernels
rotations determines the difference between
453
matter and anti-matter. The state of uniform
motion of the kernels is a necessary condition
for their existence and is obtained free from
the underlying mechanism. Thus, the material
world appears in the i n e r t i a l frame of refer-
ence with r e l a t i v i s t i c properties and mirror
asymmetry.
The diffusional solutions describes spread-
ing of phase from a source as an instantaneous
process: at any moment t > 0 for any distance
there w i l l be 0 > O. Such a paradoxical s i t -
uation occurs because diffusion equations give
an aggregate representation neglecting speed
considerations at the level of discrete compo-
nents, like molecules or oscillators. Note
that in contrast with the material world of
propelling kernels the diffusional spreading
of phase is not affected by the r e l a t i v i s t i c
restriction (2).
4. STRUCTUREOF ELEMENTARYPARTICLESAND
MULTIFACET PROPERTIESOF MASS
The characteristic equation for steady-state
kernels provide three basic patterns of phase
dependence: exponentially decreasing, ex-
ponentially increasing, and sinusoidal. Clus-
ters of generated synchro excitations re-
present mass. This explains the parton
structure of elementary particles and the re-
lationship of the apparently different facets
of mass: i n e r t i a , gravitation, wave charac-
t e r i s t i c s , equivalence to energy, as well as
spin and electrical charge.
The generated synchro excitations create
further effects in the form of constant phase
lines which produce a long range gravitational
attraction. In a short range they intersect
in front of a kernel causing i t s periodical
self-destruction and establishing a scene for
pre-processing quantum transitions with
"instantaneous" distant correlations.
The characteristic solutions yield the whole
spectrum of basic constituents of matter.
454 S. E Berkovich / Spacetime and matter in a cellular automation framework
Monotonic exponential kernels and t h e i r combi-
nations provide proton, electron, neutron in
the case v < c, and electromagnetic f i e l d and
photons in the case v = c. Proton correspond
to increasing, electron - to decreasing expo-
nent. Having d i f f e r e n t "angle of attack" these
exponents generate s u b s t a n t i a l l y d i f f e r e n t
amount of mass, although they produce the same
e l e c t r i c a l charge. Various sinusoidal kernels
which propagate with subtle synchro d i s t u r -
bances are i d e n t i f i e d with neutrinos.
5. MODEL DYNAMICSAND FOUR FUNDAMENTAL INTER-
ACTIONS
The i n i t i a l i z a t i o n of the material world
started with a forced pause in mutual syn-
chronization in a singular clock; this causes
spreading of material synchro formations just
as portrayed by the Big Bang theory. Material
synchro formations are generated in a short
moment u n t i l the gradient of phase remains
greater than the minimum change of phase along
the kernels. Configurations generating the
kernels are c y l i n d e r cross sections of the ex-
panding iso-phase spheres. Preliminary simu-
lat ion s have suggested this p o s s i b i l i t y . Re-
markably, t h i s scheme creates a fixed amount of
matter, a fact which may be linked with curious
cosmological coincidences 3.
Force is a factor stimulating relocations of
the material synchro formations. Three types
of the forces are d i r e c t l y related to the mat-
te r generating a c t i v i t i e s of the p r o p e l l i n g
kernels: ( i ) f ro n t al and edge r o t a t i o n a l
actions of monotonic kernels moving at v = c -
e l e c t r i c and magnetic forces, (2) mutual in-
fluence of overlapping synchro clusters - strong
i n t e r a c t i o n s , (3) withstanding the d i s i n t e g r a -
t i o n of propelling kernels - weak i n t e r a c t i o n s .
The fourth force - g r a v i t a t i o n - is due to
spreading of constant phase lines as a by-pro-
duct of generating a c t i v i t y of the kernels.
This explains why i t is possible to i n t e r p r e t
g r a v i t a t i o n separately from the physics of the
material world in terms of the properties of
spacetime and why i n e r t i a l and g r a v i t a t i o n a l
masses are pr opor t ional.
6. CONCLUDINGREMARKS
U lt ima t e ly , the presented model of the
physical world can be completely described by a
d i s t r i b u t i o n of abstract natural numbers with
modular counting. Thus, among many other
things this model h i g h l i g h t s a philosophical
problem concerning the amazing a b i l i t y of pure
mathematical concepts to represent the objects
of r e a l i t y ".
The model recognizes an operational back-
ground behind the material world in addition
to the laws of physics. This may provide spe-
cial " b i o t o n i c " laws which are presumably es-
sential f or certain b i o l o g i c a l phenomena, in
p a r t i c u l a r , f o r the consciousness of mind s .
REFERENCES
i . S.Y. Berkovich, Mutual Synchronization in a
Network of D i g i t a l Clocks as the Key Cellu-
l a r Automaton Mechanism of Nature. Compu-
t a t i o n a l Model of Fundamental Physics, In-
s t i t u t e f o r Information Science and Techno-
logy, George Washington University, Report
GWU lIST 86-28, 1986.
2. T. T o f f o l i and N. Margolis, C e l l u l a r Auto-
mata Machines: A New Environment f o r Mod-
eling (The MIT Press, 1987).
3. P.C.W. Davies, The accidental universe,
(Cambridge University Press, 1982).
4. E.P. Wigner, Comm. in Pure and Appl. Math,
13(1960), 1.
5. E.P. Wigner, The p r o b a b i l i t y of the exis-
tence of self-reproducing u n i t , in The Logic
of Personal Knowledge: Essays presented to
Michael Polanyi, (The Free Press, Glencoe,
I i i , 1961) pp. 231-238.