Boundary Institute 2004-5

Boundary Institute 2004-5

Richard Shoup and Thomas Etter

Executive summary
The mission of the Boundary Institute is to conduct multidisciplinary scientific research on the foundations of Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science, with special emphasis on the deep connection among these fields, to disseminate the results of this work, and to explore its further implications. We have established the Institute with a long-term view as an evolving research center with a particular interest in issues and problems often dismissed by assumption or overlooked entirely by the mainstream in these fields. In physics, these fundamental issues include the so-called law of cause and effect, the incompatibility of the quantum and classical realms, the assumption of acausal random events at the core of quantum mechanics, and the mysterious but basic role in nature played by quantum probability amplitudes and entanglement. In mathematics, we have focused on new foundations for logic and set theory, and the representation and applications of self-referring or looping structures. These basic mathematical inquiries also form the basis of new techniques and tools for designing and verifying computer circuits and programs, and other applications within computing. The primary research activities in 2004 have involved theory development, physical experiments, and publication. Our popular on-line Psi tests now include an experiment to test the validity and characteristics of causal influence backward in time in a Markov chain. New experiments being planned include a laser-based test of influence on quantum random bit streams. Our goals for 2005 include implementing several new experiments, publishing some of our recent work, and building an awareness and community of interest in these subjects via several ongoing collaboration with researchers at other institutions. In the longer term, we see applications and possible commercial spin-offs of Boundary research. We also see the potential for deeper benefit to society at large, and hope to contribute to steering the intellectual power of science into better harmony with the whole of nature.

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Boundary Institute 2004-5

Richard Shoup and Thomas Etter

1. Mission
The mission of the Boundary Institute is to conduct multidisciplinary scientific research on the foundations of Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science, with special emphasis on the deep connection among these fields, to disseminate the results of this work, and to explore its further implications. The boundary symbol represents the current limits of our knowledge and the vast territory beyond (woodcut1), and also the deepest fundamental concept and organizing principle in our mathematics (see below). Fundamental science Most scientific research is concerned with looking for the answers to questions that have already been raised. Advanced research is more concerned with framing the right questions -- often a more critical and harder task than answering them. Thoughtful scientists though, are also aware that it is often more important to ask entirely new questions, and new kinds of questions -- an activity we could call fundamental research. The reality is that often we dont even have the appropriate words or concepts with which to frame the proper new questions or satisfactory answers to them. In our research, we take particular note of this problem of missing or inadequate concepts, and work toward expanding the conceptual space in which fundamental questions can be asked and answered -- challenging assumptions, finding and trying new viewpoints, and seeking conceptual leaps to entirely new ways of thinking about the world. Long-term view The Boundary Institute has been established not only to pursue the research goals outlined in this document, but also with a long-term view to become an evolving center dedicated to the exploration of fundamentals in physics, mathematics, and computing, with a particular interest in issues and problems often dismissed by assumption or overlooked entirely by the mainstream in these fields.
1

Woodcut by the French astronomer Camille Flammerion, 1888, colorized

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2. Fundamental Research
"Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a pile of facts is not necessarily science." -- Henri Poincar

The fundamental issues most of interest to us are by their deep nature shared by all areas of science. Our projects will focus on common aspects and foundations of these problems in the core fields of physics, mathematics, and computing. The nexus and the central issue in all of these is the common dichotomy of object vs distinction, function vs relation, part vs whole. Physics In physics, these fundamental issues include the so-called law of cause and effect, the incompatibility of the quantum and classical realms, the assumption of acausal random events at the core of quantum mechanics, and the mysterious but basic role in nature played by quantum probability amplitudes and entanglement. Throughout science, there is the usually unspoken assumption of a principle of cause and effect. Generally this is taken to mean that causes must precede their effects in time, and events in the future cannot influence the immutable past. Despite the telling absence of such a principle in the well-established laws and equations of both classical and quantum mechanics, the assumption of causality is still tacitly made in most physics experiments and nearly all the experimental sciences. In contrast, our evolving theory clearly shows that with an improved interpretation of quantum mechanics, causal influence can propagate backwards as well as forwards in time. With this clarification, many of the so-called quantum mysteries (such as EPR phenomena) become much more easily understood, and other well-established but enigmatic anomalies such as ESP or psychic phenomena become at least plausible. A closely related example of our approach to foundations can be found in our proposed remedy for the current disconnect between the classical and the quantum realms of physics. The prevailing conception of quantum states makes them seem totally incompatible with classical states. Mysterious and seemingly arbitrary rules have been created to tie the two together in practice, but there is no real theory that explains these rules. However, it turns out that by introducing a fundamentally new mathematical concept of quantum states as disconnections, we can clearly see their harmony not only with classical states, but with a whole range of other states that are neither classical nor quantum and which have never before been even imagined. The key here is found in the same above-mentioned mathematics that generalizes causality . One of our projects, in collaboration with two physicists at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), is

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now beginning to apply this new mathematics to certain well-known phenomena in which quantum and classical combine in puzzling ways, with the long-term hope of finding a fundamental way to unify quantum mechanics with general relativity. Mathematics In mathematics, we have focused on new foundations for logic and set theory by means of a deeper and simpler starting point known as Boundary Math. This new mathematics subsumes all of propositional logic and Boolean algebra with a single symbol or concept, and permits reduction algorithms that are considerably simpler than with conventional representations. A new set theory is also being developed based upon distinction rather than membership as primitive. Another area of interest is the representation and use of paradoxes (self-referring or looping structures) in logic expressions and circuits. It turns out that logical paradox can be represented using imaginary logic values, similar in content and power to imaginary or complex numbers commonly used in science and engineering. Proper appreciation of these self-referring expressions leads to a clear representation of memory elements, clocks, the origin of time (sequence), and a natural connection to infinite forms of all kinds in mathematics. It also reveals an entirely new interpretation to the common technique of proof by contradiction, or reductio ad absurdum. We are also pursuing an alternative approach to fundamental mathematics that resembles Boundary Math in that it is also based on making distinctions rather than manipulating mathematical objects like numbers and sets. It does not, however, make this change at the level of propositional logic, but at the level of identity in the predicate calculus. We have shown that if we replace the usual identity predicate x=y by a three-place predicate x(y=z) which relativizes identity, we obtain from this predicate alone a universal language for mathematics. In this regard our new language resembles set theory, but unlike set theory, it does not saddle us with an awkward hierarchical ontology of things called sets, and more important, it provides us with a much more graceful and flexible approach to the logic of relations. A particular reason this is important to us is that Link Theory is based on putting together and taking apart relations, and it looks as if this new home for relations will make Link Theory a much more effective tool for physics -- a point that is of considerable interest to us and to our collaborators at SLAC. Computer Science More properly called Computing Science or just Computing, we refer to the science and engineering disciplines of designing and building computer hardware devices and systems, of programming them to perform particular tasks, and of verifying that they have operated properly according to their specifications.

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We argue that not only better tools, but new mathematical foundations are needed in computer science and engineering to permit grounded formal representations, unified and common to both hardware and software, from the earliest specification of a computation through to implementation and testing. Specification, design, verification, and debugging should be represented as a seamless whole, rather than by a collection of language extensions and ad hoc techniques, as they are at present. To be sure, the price/performance of computing hardware has improved dramatically over the years, on a curve of steepness and length that may never be equalled in any man-made technology. And computers have gotten dramatically easier to use, largely because user interfaces have become two-dimensional and graphical. Networking has added another significant dimension to computing applications. But the way in which computers are built and programmed hasn't changed all that much in nearly sixty years. It can be argued that languages, compilers, design tools, etc. have improved somewhat, but our underlying models of computation have remained basically unchanged since the earliest days of computing. Serial von Neumann architectures and programming styles continue to dominate despite the advantages of customized moreparallel structures. Truly reconfigurable computers that adapt effectively to the problem at hand are still in our future. This is unlikely to change until really flexible and powerful design tools are available that are free from the old standard assumptions, and that allow the designer to capture the parallelism and dependencies inherent in the desired computation rather than forcing him to map his problem onto a standard engine. For these and other reasons, placing hardware and software engineering on a sound formal footing is a highly desirable and economically motivating goal. But we think this is not really possible nor practical without some deeper foundations upon which to rest. New mathematical concepts such as those referred to above can provide these foundations. For example, a mathematical foundation that captures hierarchical dependency in a fundamental way can allow provable transformations of a specified computation to suit the implementation desired -- simulation, emulation, programmable gate array, or fullcustom integrated circuit. Further, a hierarchy of complex logic values can be used to model the behavior of time-dependent expressions, and thus both sequential and combinational circuits in a single formalism. These insights can lead to the unification of the hardware and software domains, and new ways of designing, manipulating, transforming, and verifying desired computational structures.

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3. Research Agenda
Our primary research activities in 2004 and 2005 will involve a combination of theory development, physical experiments, and further publication. In each of these areas, we aim to further our understanding, and also to communicate with our peers and build a broader community of awareness and interest in these subjects. Theory Physics - Continue development and application of Link Theory as an interpretation of quantum physics, and potential key to unification of QM and relativity. Write several concise papers on specific results already in hand on issues such as the quantum measurement problem, causality and randomness, double boundary conditioned Markov chains, etc. Mathematics - Continue development of Link Theory, Relative Identity, and Boundary Math as new representational concepts and tools for physics and computing. Develop and publish previous work on paradox and imaginary logic values as applied to computing circuits and to mathematics generally. Computer Science and Engineering - Continue development of Boundary Math, Torics, and other forms as applied to formal design, verification, transformation, etc of digital circuits and programs. Continuing experiments Our web-based experiments in psychic phenomena (Psi) at www.gotpsi.org have been operational for over 4 years now, accumulating a database of over 48M trials in a total of six on-line experiments. Three of these are variations on card guessing, one remote viewing, one location guessing, and one emulating the California lottery. A formal version of the most popular card test is also being run in cooperation with Dean Radin at the Institute of Noetic Sciences using selected high-performing subjects from prior years. Analyses of all these tests is ongoing, with examination of base hit rates across users, ancillary conditions, displacements, response timing, psychological factors, and other variables. We are also looking for correlations with physical and environmental parameters suspected to be relevant such as geomagnetic field strength, local sidereal time, and others. New experiments The newest of the on-line Psi tests is the Card Draw test, begun Feb 2004. In this test, the user attempts to influence the randomly-chosen appearance of a card image. Unknown to him, the target choice is determined by a Markov chain controlled by several random generators, and the bits this chain are the objects of our interest.

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In order to produce an anomalous physical effect that is as simple as possible, we are designing an optical-RNG-based experiment called RetroComm. If successful, it will demonstrate in an undeniable way the influencing of a supposedly random generator based on a quantum phenomenon, and thereby a definitive violation of standard quantum theory. If the RetroComm experiment is successful, a further variation on this paradigm will attempt to send a message across an entangled pair of photons in an EPR (EinsteinPodolsky-Rosen) configuration. (See description for more details.) Collaborations Dean Radin, Institute of Noetic Sciences, with Shoup & Etter; Design and analysis of several on-line Psi experiments, Markov chain effects, random number generators, and related subjects. Pierre Noyes & James Lindesay, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, with Etter; Studying Link Theory & particle interactions, Ising spin systems, unification of quantum mechanics and relativity. Frederick Furtek, Applied Combinatorics, with Shoup; Formal representations and design tools for hardware and software. William Bricken, Bricken Technologies, with Shoup; Boundary Math and applications.

4. Organization
The Boundary Institute was incorporated in California in February 2000, and is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Currently, we have only a small core staff (Shoup and Etter, see profiles below) and a variety of collaborators (see above). The Board of Directors consists of 3-5 persons, initially including founding members Federico Faggin and David Liddle, and Richard Shoup. A Board of Science Advisors, also 3-5, will be assembled and will meet periodically to review and advise on the science agenda and research activities. Until resources permit further staffing, volunteers and consultants will assist with experiments, programming, fundraising, and other necessary functions as appropriate.

5. Budget and funding

Our fundraising strategy and plan for long-term viability focuses primarily on individual donors, prior supporters and new potential donors through personal contacts, and those expressing interest via our web sites.

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In addition, we will seek funding from specific science-supporting foundations and others as appropriate. A membership program will also be established via the Boundary web sites www.boundary.org and www.gotpsi.org to provide a modest revenue stream and potential for further development.

6. Goals for 2004-5

1. Organization - Build the Institute organization including the Boards, etc, with intention of long-term presence for scientifically and socially beneficial research. 2. Fundraising - Update presentation materials, web site content, etc., seek and secure ongoing and growth funding from individuals and grants, establish membership outreach program. 3. Research, theory - Continue development and unification of Link Theory, Relative Equality, Boundary Math, publish several targetted papers to mainstream, continue building collaborations with physics, math, and computing communities. 4. Research, experiments - Complete analyses of several years of on-line data including selected subjects, and publish, analyze newest on-line experiment, implement new experiments as described, document and begin analyses.

7. Practical and commercial applications

We also hope to enable some practical and/or commercial applications of Boundary research results. This could take any of several forms, including an open-source community, licensing, contracts, or a separate for-profit company. Possibilities exist related to the physics and Psi research, as well as in mathematics and computer science fundamentals. In particular, we see the near-term potential for significant impact in computing, in hardware and software design tools, and also in the verification and testing of complex systems of all types. Further, a new kind of tool for representation and manipulation of abstract structures could be created using the mathematics of compound relations. Such a structure tool could have utility for organizing, analyzing, manipulating, etc, information structures across a very wide range of disparate problems -- much as a spreadsheet tool does for a variety of arithmetic calculations, but much more generally.

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8. Broader implications
A worthy research question is one whose implications extend farther than we can see.-- Anon.

The implications of this work extend far beyond science and technology, and have relevance to other aspects of society as a whole and to the overall human experience. This broad subject is clearly beyond the scope of this paper, but two brief observations may elucidate this claim somewhat. Connectedness Our physical theories suggest that all events may be deeply connected, not just in some philosophical sense, but in a very specific physical way not previously realized. Connections and pathways for information flow may exist that have profound effects upon human beings and the world, and yet lie mostly unnoticed beneath everyday reality. Concrete validation and acknowledgement by science of this deep connectedness could have a real and beneficial sociological and psychological impact. Relational vs. functional worldview Many parts of our culture today share a strong discontent with the technocratic narrowness of science as it stands. The broader message in our work with mathematical relations is that nature -- including human nature -- has many ways of being besides using things. A world that is composed only of functions is a world fit only to be used, manipulated, and consumed. Instead, we study a relational alternative to functional composition that is nonetheless accessible to the mathematical tools of science and engineering. A world understood through relations is a world of symbiosis, co-existence, mutuality, and cooperation. This alternative way of thinking can explain some of the more puzzling laws of physics in simple ways, and, in the long term, perhaps can even steer the intellectual power of science into better harmony with the whole of nature.

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9. Profiles
Richard Shoup obtained his BSEE degree in 1965 and Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1970 from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. His Ph.D. thesis was one of the first to explore programmable logic and restructurable computing, precursor technologies to todays programmable logic devices and field programmable gate arrays. Later in 1970, Shoup became one of the first employees at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, where he built one of the first digital frame buffers and developed painting and animation software for applications in graphic arts. He left Xerox in 1979 to cofound Aurora Systems, an early manufacturer of digital videographics and animation systems, where he served in various roles including President and Chairman. In recognition of his computer graphics work, Shoup was awarded an Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, an Academy Award (with Alvy Ray Smith and Thomas Porter) by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a Computer Graphics Achievement award (with Smith) by ACM Siggraph. In 1993, Shoup joined Interval Research Corporation, a unique research lab in Palo Alto founded by computer industry pioneers Paul Allen and David Liddle. There he worked in the areas of reconfigurable computing, hardware and software architectures, design tools, mathematics of computation, and quantum theory as it relates to Psi phenomena. With Dean Radin, Shoup founded the Psi research project at Interval in 1997, and the Boundary Institute in 2000. Richard Shoup resides in San Jose, California with his wife and son, and frequently can be found playing the trombone with local jazz ensembles. Thomas Etter's background is in mathematics and philosophy. He has worked in various ways with computers, holding several early patents on integrated circuits, one of which was demonstrated by NCR at the 1963 Worlds Fair. His most recent job was as Senior Software Architect at the E-Speak division of Hewlett-Packard, where he developed a new axiomatization of relational structures aimed at helping to bridge the gap between logic programming and relational database theory. Prior to HP, he worked with Richard Shoup and others at Interval Research Corporation on a new mathematical approach to relations called Link Theory. Etter also has had a long-standing interest in both interpretations of quantum mechanics and Psi phenomena. In recent years, he has been President of the Alternative Natural Philosophy Association, an international scholarly organization, and editor of its West Coast journal. During the 1960s, Etter conducted research in these areas funded by grants from the State of New York and the University of Minnesota, during which time he first developed his mathematical ideas about time loops and double boundary conditions.

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