The Information Circulation Hypothesis

The Problem

Standard thermodynamics predicts heat death: the universe tends toward maximum entropy, eventually reaching thermal equilibrium where no work can be performed. All structure dissipates. All differentiation fades. The cosmos becomes a uniform, featureless void.

This is a problem for any theory that takes information seriously. If information is fundamental (as LRT suggests with its $I_\infty$/$A_\Omega$ distinction), what happens to it as entropy maximizes?

The black hole information paradox sharpens the question: does information that falls into a black hole persist, transform, or vanish? Physics hasn’t resolved this.

LRT’s framework suggests a different way to think about the question.

The Framework: $I_\infty$ and the Instantiation Barrier

LRT distinguishes two domains:

$I_\infty$ is the unbounded space of all logically possible configurations. It contains everything representable, most of which cannot be physical.

$A_\Omega$ is the subset of $I_\infty$ that satisfies $L_3$ (Identity, Non-Contradiction, Excluded Middle). These are the configurations that can be instantiated, that can exist as physical things.

The instantiation barrier is the boundary between them. Information transitions from abstract possibility ($I_\infty$) to physical actuality ($A_\Omega$) only if it satisfies the $L_3$ constraints.

This framework addresses how things come into physical existence. But what about how they leave it?

The Hypothesis: Black Holes as De-Actualization

The Information Circulation Hypothesis (ICH) proposes:

Black hole singularities serve as the mechanism for de-actualizing information, returning it from $A_\Omega$ to $I_\infty$.

Here’s the picture:

I. The Influx: Planck-Scale Instantiation

Information transitions from $I_\infty$ into the physical manifold at the Planck scale. The $L_3$ constraints act as a filter: only configurations satisfying Identity, Non-Contradiction, and Excluded Middle are permitted to instantiate. The result is what we perceive as space-time, particles, and physical structure.

II. The Outflux: Black Hole De-Actualization

Black holes serve as the “return valve”:

• Physical Dissolution: At the singularity, the physical constraints that define our specific instantiation are compressed to failure.
• Phase Transition: Information is stripped of its physical “address” and properties. It transitions from Instantiated Information back to Abstract Information.
• Reintroduction: The information returns to $I_\infty$. It is de-actualized but not destroyed.

III. The Cycle

This creates a circulation:

The universe isn’t a one-way process from ordered to disordered. It’s a cycle where information flows from possibility to actuality and back.

Consequences

If ICH is correct, several things follow:

Entropy is Local; Logic is Absolute

High-entropy matter is “low-quality” instantiated information (many microstates, few distinguishing macroscopic features). But the logical integrity of that information persists. By returning information to $I_\infty$, black holes “clear the cache” without destroying the information itself.

Heat Death Avoided

The standard picture assumes information has nowhere to go but toward equilibrium. ICH provides an exit: de-actualization. The universe maintains a logical steady-state because its “exhaust” (black holes) feeds back into its “input” ($I_\infty$).

Conservation of Logical Integrity

Rather than Conservation of Energy alone, we might consider Conservation of Logical Integrity: the total information across the barrier (Physical + $I_\infty$) remains constant, though the ratio of actualized to potential fluctuates.

What This Doesn’t Claim

ICH is exploratory. It does not claim:

• Derivation from $L_3$: The core LRT derivation gets you to quantum mechanics. ICH is an additional hypothesis about cosmological structure.
• Resolution of black hole physics: The information paradox involves unresolved questions about quantum gravity. ICH offers a conceptual framework, not a physics solution.
• Testable predictions (yet): ICH would need to connect to observable phenomena before it counts as science rather than speculation.

Why It’s Interesting Anyway

Even as speculation, ICH does useful work:

1. Reframes the information paradox: Instead of asking “where does information go?” it asks “what phase does information transition to?”

2. Connects LRT to cosmology: The $I_\infty$/$A_\Omega$ distinction applies at universal scales, not just quantum measurement.

3. Addresses heat death without violating thermodynamics: Entropy still increases locally; the information just has somewhere to go.

4. Maintains information conservation: The total (actualized + potential) remains constant, consistent with unitarity in quantum mechanics.

Computational Exploration

To test whether the influx/outflux imbalance could plausibly drive cosmic acceleration, we built a computational toy model (ich_dark_energy.ipynb). The simulation implements:

• Entropy-dependent influx from $I_\infty$ (self-regulating feedback loop)
• Emergent black hole dynamics (formation from local density, absorption, Hawking-like evaporation, merging)
• Friedmann-like expansion driven by the circulation imbalance
• Distance modulus $\mu(z)$ calculation for comparison with SNe Ia observations

Preliminary Results (v1.0)

The key result: a small persistent imbalance (influx > outflux) produces late-time acceleration with equation of state matching the cosmological constant. The entropy self-regulation prevents runaway inflation—high entropy suppresses influx, creating stable dynamics.

This is a mechanism demonstration, not a cosmological prediction. The absolute distance scale isn’t calibrated to physical units. What matters is that the structure of ICH (circulation with asymmetry) can generate Λ-like behavior from first principles.

Ongoing Refinements

See GitHub Issue #27 for current work on:

• Calibrating distance modulus to physical SNe Ia anchors
• Improving χ² fit quality
• Exploring parameter sensitivity
• Adding 3D spatial dynamics

Open Questions

ICH raises questions worth investigating:

• Logical Pressure: What determines the rate at which information from $I_\infty$ is “pushed” through the Planck scale to create new space-time?

• Selectivity: Does the $L_3$ filter at the instantiation barrier affect which information from $I_\infty$ gets actualized, or only whether a given configuration can be actualized?

• Hawking Radiation: Does Hawking radiation represent partial de-actualization, or is it a separate mechanism?

• Cosmological Constant: Is the observed acceleration of expansion related to the influx/outflux balance?

These questions don’t have answers yet. They’re directions for future exploration.

Summary

The Information Circulation Hypothesis proposes that the universe is a finite, $L_3$-constrained subset of $I_\infty$. The instantiation barrier at the Planck scale regulates the entry of information into physical reality, while black hole singularities serve as the mechanism for de-actualizing information and returning it to $I_\infty$, thereby maintaining a perpetual logical cycle and avoiding universal heat death.

This article provides intuition. For the formal treatment—with explicit assumptions, the L₃ → Adm derivation, and falsifiable predictions—see the Operationalization Paper.

Further Reading

• ICH Operationalization Paper - The formal treatment with explicit assumptions (A1-A5), Lemma 3.0, and falsifiable predictions
• The Instantiation Barrier Explained - The core $I_\infty$/$A_\Omega$ distinction
• From Logic to Physics - Why $L_3$ constrains physical reality
• Position Paper - Full technical treatment of core LRT

Logic Realism Theory was developed by James (JD) Longmire. This extension hypothesis is part of the LRT documentation at jdlongmire.github.io/logic-realism-theory.