Exploring the Quantum Nature of the Universe: Could Information Be the Key to Dark Matter and Dark Energy?
Physicists are still puzzling over the true nature of dark matter and dark energy, mysterious phenomena that have inexplicably added roughly ten times as much mass to the universe as all normal matter combined. But looking at the universe through the lens of quantum computing could help unlock some answers.
Recent theories suggest that the universe itself stores quantum information — the fundamental bits of matter at the smallest scales. In fact, with proposed upgrades to the Event Horizon Telescope (which famously captured the first image of a black hole), we may be on the brink of obtaining actual evidence of this quantum information layer.
From Quantum Computing to the Cosmos
While investigating the potential of quantum computers for their information storage capabilities, researcher Florian Neukart began contemplating the workings of the largest possible information-storing system: the universe itself.
Neukart believes we might soon understand how the universe stores quantum information. After all, a whole branch of physics seeks to explain how subatomic particles—like quarks—shape everything from galaxy formation to brain activity.
Neukart, a professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands and Chief Product Officer at Terra Quantum AG (a quantum computing and security company in Switzerland), is part of a growing field known as information physics. This field explores how quantum information might enhance our understanding of the cosmos.
The Simulation Hypothesis and Information Physics
One intriguing possibility emerging from this perspective is that our perceived reality could be a hyper-advanced series of ones and zeroes—a concept known as the simulation hypothesis, which is gaining popularity in theoretical physics.
The quantum framework might also help explain two of cosmology’s greatest mysteries today: dark matter and dark energy.
“People in information physics sometimes say that the universe is made of information. I wouldn’t say that, I’d say it’s made with information,” Neukart explains. “You still have matter and energy but information is an additional thing that contributes to the curvature of space-time.”
The Quantum Memory Matrix: Spacetime as an Information Grid
An effective model for understanding this idea is the Quantum Memory Matrix, which proposes that spacetime is a grid composed of the tiniest possible cells — each storing information. The size of each cell is based on the Planck constant, approximately 1.616255×10⁻³⁵ meters, which is about 10⁻²⁰ times the size of a proton, a well-known subatomic particle.
Using this incredibly small unit avoids variable answers caused by quantum fluctuations in calculations.
“This means that energy is not only matter, it’s also information that causes curvature of space-time,” Neukart says.
Our Expanding Cosmic Awareness
We’re still in the infancy of understanding our universe. For example, we recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of realizing there are far more galaxies in the Milky Way than previously thought—roughly two trillion more.
Additionally, just 60 years ago, scientists discovered the Cosmic Microwave Background—the faint radiation left over from the Big Bang, which helps us estimate the universe’s age.
These breakthroughs have opened new windows into the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy: The Invisible Forces
Physicists worldwide are dedicating their lives to investigating what dark matter and dark energy are and why they exist. The puzzling thing is that their combined gravitational influence adds about ten times more mass to the cosmos than all ordinary matter, yet they remain completely invisible to our instruments.
Dark matter affects massive cosmic structures by bending light around stars and galaxies through gravity. Meanwhile, dark energy seems to generate a repulsive force driving the universe’s accelerating expansion.
A Quantum Computing Perspective on Dark Mysteries
Viewing the universe from the standpoint of quantum computing—rather than solely through astrophysics—could offer new explanations.
Typical theories about dark matter suggest it is likely a weakly interacting particle that has so far eluded detection. The leading candidate particle is the axion, a hypothetical entity scientists have yet to observe.
The Quantum Memory Matrix offers a tantalizing approach to solving this enigma and may also clarify other astrophysical puzzles.
Quantum Memory Matrix and Black Hole Physics
For instance, general relativity describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy, but it doesn’t fully explain the physics inside black holes.
The Quantum Memory Matrix adds an informational layer to Albert Einstein’s field equations, shedding light on what happens at a black hole’s singularity.
This framework could even solve the Black Hole Information Paradox—a quantum conundrum where Hawking radiation eventually shrinks a black hole, seemingly destroying information, which violates quantum mechanics principles.
Some theories suggest that information is preserved in another universe connected to the black hole. However, the Quantum Memory Matrix proposes that as information falls into a black hole, it imprints on Planck-length “memory” cells. So even after the black hole evaporates, the information remains preserved within spacetime itself.
Broader Implications of the Quantum Memory Matrix
Applying the concept of memory cells to gravity could provide explanations for many cosmic mysteries, but this is just the beginning.
Neukart believes the Quantum Memory Matrix could ultimately explain all types of matter and fundamental interactions in the universe, including the strong and weak nuclear forces (which hold atomic nuclei together) and electromagnetism (governing interactions between light waves and particles).
These possibilities, of course, rely on the existence of spacetime cells as described by the Quantum Memory Matrix.
The Big Bounce and the Informational Age of the Universe
The memory matrix concept might also support the idea of a cyclic universe—where new universes snap back from the collapse of previous ones. This would transform the traditional Big Bang into a “Big Bounce.”
Neukart theorizes that while the universe goes through these cycles, eventually, spacetime becomes fully saturated with information, leading to slow expansion and eventual disintegration.
If this holds true, the informational age of the universe would be about 62 billion years old, significantly older than the commonly cited 13.8 billion years.
The Road Ahead: From Theory to Evidence
Of course, extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence. While Neukart’s theories are compelling, proving them will be challenging—but not impossible.
Proposed upgrades to the Event Horizon Telescope, which captured humanity’s first black hole image, could provide the improved resolution needed to detect subtle signatures of information’s role in gravity.
“These black holes accumulate matter, and as it spirals inward, it heats up and causes radiation, making them visible,” Neukart explains. “If information significantly contributes to gravity, then you would see a slightly modified photon ring around the black hole.”
A New Era in Physics
Neukart isn’t waiting passively for results. He plans to publish more papers applying the Quantum Memory Matrix across various physics realms.
“When you say ‘information may be as relevant as energy or matter or even more relevant,’ the thought arises that you want to replace everything with information,” Neukart says. “What’s challenging is this potential shift in physics.”
It has been a wild century of cosmic discovery since Edwin Hubble first identified Andromeda as a separate galaxy. The next century could bring even more surprising revelations—and perhaps the leading theories will be grounded in information, quantum mechanics, or ideas we have yet to imagine.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a69168324/quantum-information-universe/
