ehrlich.dev

Research Papers

Bryan Ehrlich

Two axioms - self-modeling and the relativity of isomorphism - taken to their logical conclusion with heavy AI assistance. Paper 5 is finished: Lean-verified, hardened by adversarial AI review, now at JMP. Everything else is scaffolding for a research program. I read the math at the level of a careful generalist, and the point of putting this here is to find readers who have an expert understanding of the math, to see if this construction is worth pursuing further.

Axioms

A. Self-modeling. A system is self-modeling if it contains a structure-preserving representation of its own operationally accessible state and effect structure.

B. Relativity of isomorphism. Physical counting is over equivalence classes under structure-preserving isomorphism; each presentation x is weighted by 1/|Aut(x)|.


Under review

5. Quantum Mechanics from Self-Modeling: Deriving Complex C*-Algebraic Structure from a Single Operational Premise submitted to JMP

The one result in this program I'd defend as peer-review ready. Four structural conditions on a finite-dimensional system (spectral state space, faithful internal tracking, minimal body-model composite, simplicity) force it to be isomorphic to Mn(ℂ)sa with the Lüders product. The complex field and C*-involution are derived, not assumed. The downstream chain is machine-verified in Lean 4 (0 sorry, 16 axioms, each citing a published theorem). Currently at the Journal of Mathematical Physics.


Exploratory — where the program might go

These papers ask: if Paper 5's theorem is right, what else does self-modeling force? The answers are speculative. Each paper has been through multiple rounds of adversarial review and survives at a conditional level (“if you grant X, then Y”). None is ready for peer review. They're here as scaffolding for a research program and to make the current gaps visible.

7. The Standard Model from Self-Modeling: Gauge Structure from the Observer-Universe Interface exploratory

Conditional on h3(O) being the arena, argues that an internal C*-observer's choice of idempotent and complex structure simultaneously yields the Standard Model gauge group (U(1)×SU(2)×SU(3))/Z6 and left-handed chirality. Matches the Todorov-Drenska F4∩Spin(9) result. The complexification step is argued, not proved — this is the paper's central weakness.

6. The Self-Modeling Basin Is Exceptional Supergravity exploratory

An identification theorem, not a derivation of GR. h3(O) uniquely matches the exceptional entry in the GST classification of N=2 Maxwell-Einstein supergravity, whose Lagrangian contains −R/2. This tells you that if the basin carries field-theoretic dynamics on a smooth manifold, the Lagrangian is determined. Why the basin should carry smooth-manifold dynamics in the first place is the paper's main open problem and I don't have an answer.

1. Experiential Measure on the Structure Space of Self-Modeling Systems exploratory

Defines a density functional ρ on self-modeling structures and conjectures a connection to phenomenal experience. Section 10 (Lean verified) proves that ρJ = det(X)(Tr(X2)−1/3) is the unique lowest-degree F4-invariant with specific boundary conditions on h3(O). The math is clean; the interpretation as an experiential measure is a philosophical claim on top of the math, not a theorem.


Supporting & earlier results

2. Exponential Suppression of Transient-Basin Contributions in Trajectory-Weighted Markov Chain Measures

Boltzmann brain negligibility via 7-lemma composition from metastability theory. Verified.

2b. Theorem A: Lemma Assembly

All 7 constituent lemmas with error terms, citations, and dependency graph.

3. Lipschitz Stability of the Experiential Density Functional

Proves the density is Lipschitz continuous under kernel perturbations. 3000-perturbation numerical validation.

4. Falsification of the Born-Fisher-Experiential Conjecture in a Qubit Toy Model negative result

Tests and falsifies an earlier conjecture I had about ρ dynamically selecting Born probabilities. The Born rule follows from Gleason's theorem once Paper 5's C*-algebra structure is in place, not from the experiential measure. Published here because killing your own conjectures is part of the work.