Emergent Gravity from Finite Information Density in Bounded Systems

Gravity as an Emergent Limit of Information: Curvature from Bekenstein Bounds and Effective Bit Density This work presents a phenomenological information–theoretic framework in which gravitational curvature is constrained by finite informational capacity rather than introduced as a fundamental field. Starting from gravitationally inferred mass and a regime-level assignment of effective information capacity, a scalar–tensor curvature mapping yields an emergent characteristic radius without requiring object-specific geometric fitting. The core relation is anchored in a re-expression of the Bekenstein bound, modulated by a universal participation fraction \eta \simeq 0.67 interpreted as the fraction of information that participates gravitationally. Across a wide range of systems—including planets, stars, compact objects, black holes, galaxies, and dwarf galaxies—the framework exhibits consistent regime-level structure rather than a single continuous mass scaling. A small set of discrete informational plateaus is identified, corresponding to stable mass–capacity regimes. These plateaus are treated empirically and applied uniformly within each class, rendering the model strongly falsifiable: systematic deviations within any regime would directly challenge the plateau hypothesis. The results suggest that gravitational behavior may reflect emergent structural constraints associated with finite information and discrete saturation regimes. No microscopic, quantum, or thermodynamic origin for the participation fraction is assumed here; such interpretations are deferred to future work. The framework is shown to be compatible with scalar–tensor extensions of general relativity and reproduces the Newtonian limit in the appropriate regime.