Nested Field Theory by Jim Redgewell with help from GPT

 

Nested Field Theory: A Speculative Framework for Emergent Mass, Momentum, and Speed Limits

Abstract

This paper proposes Nested Field Theory, a speculative model in which physical properties such as mass, momentum, and speed limits emerge from particle interactions with a hierarchy of nested fields. Each field possesses its own characteristic propagation speed, potentially greater or less than the speed of light. By extending the concepts underlying field-driven mass acquisition and confinement, Nested Field Theory offers a new perspective on the structure of spacetime, particle behavior, and quantum nonlocality.

Introduction

Standard physics describes mass and momentum as intrinsic properties of particles or as consequences of interactions with known fields (such as the Higgs field for mass). However, the exact mechanisms underlying phenomena like quantum entanglement, confinement of quarks, and the universality of the speed of light remain incompletely understood.

Nested Field Theory proposes that the observable behavior of particles emerges from their interactions with multiple, hierarchically structured fields, each with distinct propagation speeds. This model suggests that mass, momentum, and motion limits are not intrinsic but are emergent properties of deeper field dynamics.

Core Principles of Nested Field Theory

1. Hierarchy of Fields:

   • The universe hosts multiple fields, nested within one another, each with its own characteristic speed of interaction.

   • Some fields propagate faster than the speed of light (β > c), some at the speed of light (c), and some slower than the speed of light (β < c).

2. Particle-Field Interactions:

   • Particles are not isolated entities but disturbances or excitations within these fields.

   • The mass, momentum, and effective speed limits of particles are determined by their dominant field interactions.

3. Mass and Inertia:

   • Mass arises dynamically through intensified exchanges of virtual gauge bosons with fields (Field-Driven Mass Theory).

   • Greater frequency of interaction leads to higher effective energy and thus increased effective mass.

4. Photon Behavior:

   • Photons, traditionally considered massless, may interact with a higher-speed field that imparts their observed momentum.

   • Their speed limit (c) could be the result of coupling with the electromagnetic field, while their deeper dynamics involve faster fields.

5. Quark Confinement:

   • Quarks may interact with a slower field, causing confinement and short-wavelength behavior inside hadrons.

   • The effective "stickiness" of quarks is a field-interaction effect rather than a purely mathematical phenomenon.

6. Nonlocality and Entanglement:

   • Superluminal fields could provide a physical basis for quantum nonlocality and entanglement without violating relativistic causality in the observable sector.

Implications

• Mass, momentum, and speed limits are emergent, field-driven properties, not fixed intrinsic quantities.

• Relativity remains valid within observed fields but may emerge from deeper, faster-moving field structures.

• Quantum entanglement may reflect real, superluminal correlations mediated by hidden fields.

• Particle classifications (massive, massless, confined) depend on the hierarchy of field interactions rather than absolute categories.

Future Directions

Nested Field Theory is highly speculative but offers new avenues for theoretical exploration and potential experimental investigation:

• Searching for anomalies in photon propagation or quark confinement that could hint at hidden field dynamics.

• Exploring variations in vacuum permeability and permittivity at microscopic scales.

• Modeling emergent spacetime structure from nested field layers.

Conclusion

Nested Field Theory speculates that the properties we associate with mass, momentum, and speed emerge from particle interactions with multiple, hierarchically nested fields. By extending traditional field theories into a layered structure, this model provides a unifying physical mechanism that could explain inertia, relativistic limits, and quantum nonlocality as emergent phenomena. Further exploration, both theoretical and experimental, may reveal whether nature indeed hosts a deeper field architecture than currently recognized.

Acknowledgments

This theory emerged from a collaborative and imaginative exploration of fundamental physical concepts, demonstrating the power of critical thinking and speculative inquiry.