Phase-Damaged Light (2025 Revision): Structural Evaluation of the Tired-Light Hypothesis
Published: October 2025
Abstract
The classical tired-light hypothesis proposed that photons lose energy with distance,
leading to cosmological redshift without expansion. Pattern Field Theory (PFT) rejects this
energy-loss interpretation and replaces it with a structural degradation model
describing phase integrity loss along the π-carrier plane.
Within this model, Phase-Damaged Light (PDL) represents
light whose recursive phase structure has been partially corrupted during transmission,
producing measurable polarization and spectral deviations while conserving energy and propagation speed (c).
Phase Damaged Light Demo
1. Background
The tired-light concept failed because no physical mechanism could account for
distance-dependent energy decay without violating energy conservation or the invariance of c.
In PFT, light is treated as a recursive phase field operating on a 2-D π-carrier that reconstructs into a 3-D
polarization envelope through dimensional conversion.
Phase loss can occur through incoherent coupling or plasma turbulence without requiring energy dissipation.
2. Structural Model
During transmission across interstellar or intergalactic media, light undergoes alternating 2-D ⇄ 3-D transitions. On the π-carrier, both E and B fields are planar and phase-orthogonal but non-spatial. Incoherent external fields can impose stochastic phase perturbations that reduce coherence before 3-D reconstruction. The resulting field maintains intensity but exhibits phase-topological corruption detectable as spectral skew or polarization drift.
Φ_obs = Φ₀ · e^{-Δψ(x)}, Δψ(x) = ∫ Γ(x') dx'
Here Φ_obs is the observed phase, Φ₀ the source phase,
and Γ(x') represents the parasitic field gradient acting as a phase-damage coefficient along the path.
3. Mechanistic Interpretation
- Carrier stage: 2-D π-plane transport with both fields flat and phase-orthogonal.
- Interference stage: incoherent radiation or plasma gradients perturb the local carrier phase.
- Reconstruction stage: 3-D reformation occurs with altered phase topology; energy and
cremain constant.
4. Distinction from Earlier PPC Formulation
| Aspect | Earlier (2024 PPC) | Revised (2025 PDL) |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual basis | Partial “phase theft” analogy | Defined structural degradation of π-carrier phase |
| Energy treatment | Metaphorically reduced | Conserved; only phase topology altered |
| Geometry | Qualitative | Explicit 2-D ⇄ 3-D carrier model |
| Prediction type | Spectral bias | Polarization–frequency cross-bias and coherence dispersion |
5. Observable Consequences
- Polarization drift: gradual rotation or depolarization correlated with high-radiation corridors.
- Phase dispersion: frequency-dependent coherence loss distinct from absorption or scattering.
- Pseudo-redshift: apparent spectral displacement caused by accumulated phase lag.
- Apparent hardening: localized spectral compression resembling high-energy emission.
- Non-mass lensing analogue: carrier compression producing focus without gravitational curvature.
6. Relation to Fundamental Constants
- Propagation speed (
c): invariant; π-carrier distortion alters coherence, not velocity. - ΛΦ coupling: unaffected; the local ΛΦ relationship governs dimensional transition thresholds only.
- Energy conservation: preserved; losses are geometric, not radiative.
7. Validation Pathways
- Cross-correlation of polarization drift with intergalactic plasma maps.
- Analysis of spectral skew without corresponding absorption features.
- Comparison of optical and γ-band phase structures in identical sightlines.
- Statistical identification of non-mass lens-like focusing zones.
8. Conclusion
Pattern Field Theory replaces the energy-loss paradigm of tired light with a structural model of phase degradation on the π-carrier. The process conserves energy and the propagation constant while altering phase topology, providing a quantifiable mechanism for coherence variation in interstellar transmission. The model aligns with the Allen Orbital Lattice framework and defines a new, testable class of propagation phenomena under cosmological conditions.
References
- Zwicky, F. (1929). On the redshift of spectral lines through interstellar space. PNAS 15(10).
- Allen, J.J.S. (2025). Pattern Field Theory: The Allen Orbital Lattice and π-Carrier Framework.
- Allen, J.J.S. (2024). Parasitic Phase Conversion (PPC).
- Planck Collaboration (2020). Interstellar polarization and Faraday rotation studies.