Pattern Field Theory

Light in Pattern Field Theory™

Last updated: 2025-08-26

In Pattern Field Theory (PFT™), light is a coherent wave that emerges from recursive pattern interactions in the Pi-Field substrate. The observable quanta (detections) are event-level interactions between this continuous field and matter; the field itself is modeled as continuous.

1) Kinematics — phase, group, and the role of π

Let \(\phi(x,t)\) be the field phase. Define the local temporal phase rate \(\omega \equiv \partial \phi/\partial t\) and spatial phase gradient \(k \equiv \partial \phi/\partial x\). PFT uses the standard wave relations and makes their origin explicit in the π-structured substrate:

Phase velocity: \( v_{\Phi\lambda} \equiv \dfrac{\omega}{k} \)   (units: speed)
Group velocity: \( v_g \equiv \dfrac{\partial \omega}{\partial k} \)

In vacuum, isotropic coherence forces \(v_g \rightarrow c\) for electromagnetic disturbances at macroscopic scales, while PFT treats \(c\) as an emergent invariance from π-locked resonance loops. Nothing above contradicts the observed Lorentz symmetry; the novelty is the mechanism that fixes \(c\) as a property of the logical substrate.

2) Interpretation — “photon” as detection, field as carrier

PFT’s stance is interpretive: the EM field carries energy continuously, and detections are quantized by the field–matter interface. This differs from the mainstream gauge-boson narrative without denying the empirical success of quantized detection. Wherever high-precision QED works, PFT expects to reproduce results by mapping interaction terms to substrate resonance events.

3) Observable signatures that matter

• CMB anisotropies: PFT expects π-seeded coherence to generate temperature anisotropies of order tens of μK rms with specific scale-dependent correlations and weak parity-breaking accents at the largest scales.
• Weak lensing & PSF-scale effects: coherent curvature should imprint small, statistically biased shape distortions. Instruments with sampling on the order of a few hundredths of an arcsecond and PSFs ~0.07″ can detect such signals in stacked analyses.
• Laboratory interference: visibility in high-coherence interferometers should respond to PFT’s “coherence budget” variables (defined below) in a way that mimics but is not identical to standard coherence theory.

4) Safety & physiology notes (clarified)

Reports of “light flashes” seen by astronauts are primarily attributed to high-energy particles interacting with the visual system (cosmic rays, occasional Cherenkov-like effects), not to free-space “shearing” of ambient light. PFT does not rely on a hazard from unfiltered starlight to explain these observations.

5) PFT coherence variables (for reproducible claims)

To make the page testable, we define operational proxies you can compute from data or simulations:

1. Coherence length \(L_{\pi}\): distance over which the phase structure remains within a tolerance \(|\Delta \phi|<\pi/8\) after detrending.
2. Coherence budget \(\mathcal{C} \equiv \displaystyle \frac{1}{V}\int_V e^{-\sigma_\phi^2(x)}\,d^3x\): volume-average of phase stability.
3. Parity proxy \(\Pi \equiv \dfrac{P_{\rm even}-P_{\rm odd}}{P_{\rm even}+P_{\rm odd}}\): even/odd multipole power contrast after a fixed mask.
4. Shear index \(\nabla I \equiv \langle |\partial I/\partial x| + |\partial I/\partial y| \rangle\): mean image-plane intensity gradient magnitude (band-limited).

Earlier drafts listed numeric values for these without a full method link; those placeholders are removed until the exact code and masks are published.

6) Predictions & tests (falsifiable)

• Interferometry: For sources with matched spectral width and brightness, fringe visibility should correlate more strongly with \(L_{\pi}\) than with classical coherence length estimated purely from spectral bandwidth. Test: vary environmental pattern constraints (aperture lattices / controlled scatter) and regress visibility on both predictors; PFT predicts \(L_{\pi}\) wins.
• CMB parity accent: Using a fixed Galactic mask and identical multipole binning, \(\Pi\) should be weakly but consistently > 0 in half-sky splits aligned to the principal pattern axes defined by PFT’s π-frame. Test: blinded axis pre-registration + cross-spectrum consistency across TT/TE/EE.
• Weak-lensing stacks: In deep fields, orientation distributions of faint galaxy isophotes should show a small, coherent bias aligned with the π-frame after subtracting known shear systematics. Test: null with star shapes; verify absence in randomized roll angles.

7) Relation to fractal structure

PFT expects matter/curvature to display effective fractal dimensions \(D \lesssim 3\) on intermediate scales, tending to homogeneity at the largest scales. Prior claims in the text that used \(D>3\) have been corrected. PFT does not rely on fractal-LTB to eliminate dark energy; that earlier wording has been removed.

8) Methods & reproducibility

This page will link to the exact masks, binning, and scripts (Python notebooks) used to compute \(\mathcal{C}, L_{\pi}, \Pi,\) and \(\nabla I\) for (a) simulated fields, (b) public sky maps, and (c) instrument images. Until those links appear here, treat all quantitative claims above as predictions, not results.

9) Quick FAQ

Does this contradict QED? No. It reframes the ontology (continuous field, quantized detection) while aiming to match QED numerics where applicable.

Is \(c\) “emergent” here? Yes—PFT attributes the invariance of \(c\) to π-locked resonance in the substrate; observationally it remains constant.