The Synthetic Universe Engine as a Programmable Sandbox for Fundamental Physics

We introduce the Synthetic Universe Engine (SUE), a discrete, causal-graph framework where quantum evolution is implemented via local unitaries and spacetime curvature emerges from gradients in local von Neumann entropy. This informational geometry approach recovers standard quantum field theory and general relativity in smooth limits, while allowing controlled deviations for testing new physics. SUE functions as a programmable sandbox with tunable graph topologies, update rules, and sector couplings, enabling simulations of phenomena such as dark matter analogs, dark energy–driven cosmic acceleration, black hole information retention, Planck-scale Lorentz symmetry breaking, gravity-induced decoherence, holographic noise, and hidden-sector phase transitions. By calibrating against astrophysical and quantum experiments, SUE offers a reproducible, low-cost platform for probing and refining candidate laws of reality.