Lava-Void Cosmology vs. the Multiverse Hypothesis
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Lava-Void Cosmology and Pilot-Wave Hydrodynamics
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Lava-Void Cosmology vs. Entropic/Emergent Gravity
By C. Rich
Entropic or emergent gravity theories, most notably Erik Verlinde’s 2010–2016 framework, propose that gravity is not a fundamental force but an effective thermodynamic phenomenon arising from the entanglement entropy of underlying quantum information. Inspired by holographic principles and the AdS/CFT correspondence, these models treat spacetime as emergent from quantum bits on a boundary screen, with gravitational attraction manifesting as an entropic force when information distributions are perturbed. This approach has garnered attention for deriving Newtonian gravity and modified dark matter-like effects from entropy gradients alone, offering potential resolutions to the dark matter problem and the cosmological constant without new particles or fields. While elegant and formally intriguing, entropic gravity relies on quantum informational assumptions, holographic duality, and remains primarily heuristic at cosmological scales, lacking a fully relativistic derivation consistent with general relativity.
Lava-Void Cosmology (LVC) achieves analogous emergent modifications to gravity, particularly the dark matter-like behaviors and apparent acceleration, through purely classical viscous general-relativistic fluid dynamics, without invoking quantum entropy, holography, or emergent spacetime. As articulated in the Master Hub (Hub 0: LAVA-VOID COSMOLOGY), the unified fluid paradigm treats the cosmic medium as a viscous, compressible fluid evolving under standard Einstein equations augmented by Navier-Stokes-like stresses. Apparent dark forces arise geometrically from void-induced shear and drag, producing effective radial accelerations in galaxies (Hub 7: Galactic Dynamics) and bulk flows at larger scales (Hub 1: Cosmology – Hubble Tension, Dark Energy).
Quantum-scale phenomena are incorporated classically via vortex structures (Hub 2: Quantum Mechanics – Particles as Vortices, Navier-Stokes Proofs), which amplify to macroscopic scales through fluid instabilities, yielding emergent behaviors reminiscent of entropic forces without requiring quantum informational substrates. The effective “entropic” character in LVC emerges from thermodynamic relaxation in the void-dominated medium (Hub 16: Entropy Spine), where density gradients drive irreversible dissipation and structure formation in a manner thermodynamically consistent yet fully covariant.
This classical approach preserves general relativity as fundamental rather than emergent, adhering strictly to the principle of general covariance while reproducing modified gravitational effects across scales. Unlike holographic models, LVC requires no boundary screens, extra dimensions, or quantum gravity inputs; all dynamics follow from viscous stresses in a single, bulk spacetime fluid.
Predictive distinctions further separate the frameworks: LVC anticipates specific void-channeling signatures in ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (Hub 11: UHECR Physics) and nHz gravitational-wave backgrounds from shear (Hub 10: Cosmic Shear Dynamics), testable with current and forthcoming instruments, whereas purely entropic models often lack comparable cosmological specificity.
| Phenomenon | Entropic/Emergent Gravity Solution | LVC Mechanism | Relevant Hub(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newtonian Gravity Emergence | Entanglement entropy on holographic screen | Viscous stress tensor in bulk fluid | 0 (Master Hub), 7 (Galactic Dynamics) |
| Dark Matter-Like Effects | Entropic force from information gradients | Geometric drag from void fluid | 7 (Galactic), 1 (Cosmology) |
| Modified Rotation Curves | Effective MOND-like behavior | Scale-dependent viscous radial acceleration | 7 (Galactic), 2 (Quantum Vortices) |
| Cosmological Acceleration | de Sitter entropy or vacuum effects | Dynamic void dilution and phase transitions | 1 (Cosmology), 16 (Entropy Spine) |
| Quantum-Gravity Bridge | Holographic AdS/CFT duality | Classical vortex amplification | 2 (Quantum Mechanics), 5 (Cosmogenesis) |
| Relativistic Consistency | Partial (heuristic extensions) | Full general covariance preserved | 0 (Master Hub), 9 (Stress Test) |
LVC thus offers a more conservative yet equally emergent perspective: gravitational modifications arise from classical fluid viscosity in general relativity, achieving the explanatory goals of entropic theories while remaining grounded in established physics and generating concrete, falsifiable predictions across observational domains.
C. Rich
