IRIS Framework: Emergent Lorentzian Spacetime from Information-Theoretic Lattice Dynamics

IRIS (Information–Resonant Inertial Substrate) is an exploratory, information-theoretic framework investigating the dynamical emergence of four-dimensional Lorentzian spacetime from discrete geometric systems. In this approach, spacetime is not assumed as a fixed background but arises as a non-equilibrium attractor through the minimization of a universal information functional acting on exceptional, E8 inspired lattice geometries. Key Findings Numerical simulations across fixed-rank lattices (N=60 to N=100) show a robust preference for Lorentzian signatures over Euclidean configurations, indicating that causal spacetime structure corresponds to a global informational minimum rather than an imposed constraint. Within this framework, inertial dynamics and gravitational behavior emerge from lattice relaxation and elastic response. Several dimensionless physical constants, including the fine-structure constant α and the effective gravitational coupling G, appear as fixed structural ratios once the lattice geometry is specified. Classical General Relativity, MOND-like phenomenology, and ΛCDM behavior are recovered as effective limits of geometric stress and elasticity within the discrete substrate. Extensions and Predictions The framework is extended programmatically toward an infinite-dimensional E11 Kac–Moody algebra, interpreted as an underlying fluid-like bulk from which the crystallized E8 phase emerges via symmetry reduction. Within this extension, gravity is modeled as elastic tension between bulk and brane degrees of freedom. The model yields several concrete, falsifiable predictions, including: Vacuum Resonance: a fundamental resonance frequency at approximately 1.112 THz, derived from the observed vacuum energy density. Cosmological Scaling: a predicted redshift-dependent velocity ratio V(z=2)/V(z=0)≈1.51 testable with high-redshift kinematic data and at z=2 through the Stokes-Raviez viscous transition of the E8 substrate. IRIS is shared as an open, AI-assisted research artifact with fully reproducible numerical results, while broader theoretical implications remain conjectural. The framework is speculative and not peer reviewed; its primary contribution is the demonstration that Lorentzian spacetime can arise as an information-theoretic attractor and the proposal of a unified geometric interpretation of inertia, gravity, and cosmological expansion. This version supersedes all previous deposits. License. CC BY 4.0.