Entanglement Compression Theory: overview and research program

Entanglement Compression Theory (ECT) is a unified deterministic framework connecting quantum mechanics, general relativity, and cosmology. It identifies a single physical mechanism that links them: the compression of an entangled oscillatory field that produces both probability and curvature, combining the quantum and the geometric within one law of motion.

What if the universe was not born from an explosion in space but from a vast oscillation: a wave unfolding into everything that exists?

Every physical theory begins by asking what causes what. ECT begins one step earlier, by defining what causation itself is. Causation is not a logical link or a sequence in time; it is a physical process, the motion through which existence continues. Nothing static can endure, because stillness carries no information and no continuity. To exist, something must move. To persist, it must oscillate.

The universe is not a collection of objects but a pattern of motion: a network of oscillations that continually compress, interact, and release. These oscillations form correlations known as entanglement. When they converge, they generate compression, the physical tension that gives rise to energy, curvature, and spacetime itself.

Probability is not a built-in randomness of nature. It appears when continuous, deterministic compression is observed only through its measurable outcomes. ECT shows mathematically that the familiar quantum probability rule, the Born rule, emerges directly from how energy divides under compression. Chance is not elemental; it is the visible trace of a deeper deterministic wave process.

At the base of this structure lies a single global field: the Lawrence Universal Wave Function (Ψ_L). It describes all oscillations together as one continuous fabric rather than as separate parts. The LUWF evolves under the Primordial Wave Equation (PWE), which governs the balance between dispersion and compression. From this law, the geometry of the universe, its constants, and its conservation relationships emerge naturally.

As the Lawrence Universal Wave Function (LUWF) compresses, its amplitude and curvature define the geometry of space and time. That geometric response, formalized in the Lawrence Amplitude Functional Form (LaFF), connects the mathematics of the wave to the structure of physical reality. From this relationship, ECT derives the curvature tensor, conservation laws, and the effective metric that governs the motion of light and matter.

Entanglement Compression Theory is not an interpretation or speculation. It is a deterministic physical framework that describes how oscillation and compression generate the properties of the universe. The Primordial Wave Equation (PWE) governs the evolution of the Lawrence Universal Wave Function (Ψ_L), showing how energy, curvature, and probability arise from a single underlying process: the compression of entangled energy.

The universe did not begin with an explosion but with convergence, the first compression of oscillations that gave causation a direction. From that moment forward, existence has been a continuous rhythm of expansion and compression, the spreading of oscillatory energy and its reorganization into structure. That exchange defines the geometry of spacetime, establishes conservation laws, and determines the effective constants of nature.

The Ψ_L field is not a statistical abstraction but the physical substrate of reality itself. Its evolution under the Primordial Wave Equation (PWE) provides a deterministic foundation for all known interactions, reproducing quantum mechanics and general relativity as limiting cases. Where those theories treat probability and curvature as independent, ECT unifies them as two expressions of a single physical law, one informational and the other geometric.

iħ ∂tΨ = ( −αd Δ + V(x,t) + β ℂ[Ψ] ) Ψ .

How this equation yields the Born rule in ECT →

Here α_d governs dispersion, V(x,t) represents external potential energy, and ℂ[Ψ] is the compression operator, a real, multiplicative functional that couples amplitude and curvature. From this single equation, ECT derives probability, gravitation, and the apparent “constants” of nature as interdependent features of a self-organizing oscillatory field.

Each coefficient and operator carries direct physical meaning. The dispersion constant α_d = ħ² / (2 m_eff) defines how oscillations spread through space. V(x,t) introduces external potential when present. The compression term ℂ[Ψ] encodes how amplitude and curvature interact locally within the field. To ensure this interaction remains well defined wherever ρ₁ = |Ψ|² ≠ 0, ECT employs a regularized logarithmic form:

ℂ[Ψ](x) = −c₀ lnε(ρ₁(x)/ρ₀ + δ) .

Here small parameters ε and δ provide analytic control at low density, c₀ sets the compression scale, and ρ₀ defines a reference density. From this scalar form, one constructs the symmetric compression tensor C^(sym)_μν = ∇_μ∇_ν(−ln_ερ₁), whose gradients describe how information density bends local geometry. In the weak deformation regime, this tensor perturbs the effective metric g^eff_μν, linking the compression of the wave directly to spacetime curvature itself.

1. Measurement and Derived Probability

Conventional quantum theory treats measurement as a special act, a discontinuous collapse of the wave function into one outcome. Entanglement Compression Theory defines it as a physical process. When an entangled system compresses, its energy divides deterministically among the available states. What appears as randomness is the macroscopic expression of how amplitude and curvature redistribute under compression, as detailed in the Born rule derivation.

This division follows directly from how the Lawrence Universal Wave Function partitions energy. Each projection P_i represents a resolvable channel of compression within the full entangled system. Because compression preserves total energy and normalization, the share received by each channel is proportional to its squared amplitude in the L² sense. This produces the familiar Born weights:

pi = ⟨Ψ, Pi Ψ⟩ .

This result is derived directly from the structure of the theory, not assumed. Using the standard measure axioms of normalization, σ-additivity, and noncontextuality, the proof shows that when compression acts locally and conservatively, the energy received by each outcome equals its L² amplitude weight. … Probability is not a separate ingredient of physics but the mathematical record of how energy divides within a deterministic field. Step-by-step derivation for readers.

The full derivation appears in Theory of Derived Probability and Entanglement Compression, and is proven formally in the companion work Mathematical Foundations of Derived Probability and ECT: Well-Posedness and Gravitational Tests. Together these papers demonstrate that Born probabilities are not axioms but the statistical limits of a deterministic energy-sharing process governed by the Primordial Wave Equation.

2. Curvature from Compression

In general relativity, curvature arises from how mass and energy distort geometry. Entanglement Compression Theory extends this view by showing that curvature itself originates from the compression of the underlying wave. When the local density of the Lawrence Universal Wave Function changes, it creates gradients in information density. Those gradients act as a geometric stress field. The tighter the compression, the more strongly space bends.

This relationship is defined by the compression tensor C^(sym)_μν = ∇_μ∇_ν(−ln_ερ₁), where ρ₁ = |Ψ|² represents the local amplitude density. The double gradient measures how quickly information density varies through spacetime and determines how the effective geometry deforms.

geffμν = gμν + κ̃L*²C(sym)μν .

Here κ̃L_*² is the coupling constant that links compression strength to curvature scale. In the weak-deformation limit, this correction to the background metric reproduces general relativity exactly. Eikonal and WKB analyses recover the standard null-geodesic law for light propagation and energy transport. Where compression gradients vary, ECT predicts small measurable deviations such as phase shifts, angular offsets, and timing variations that mark the boundary between classical and compression-modified geometry.

Information curvature replaces mass-energy curvature. Regions where the LUWF is more compressed behave as zones of higher informational tension. In smooth domains these corrections vanish, preserving standard relativity. In regions with strong compression gradients, they produce faint but definite residuals that can be tested through gravitational-lensing asymmetries, timing variations, and interferometric drift floors.

3. The Compression–Balance Invariant and Effective c(x)

Every oscillatory system balances two opposing tendencies: the outward spreading of energy through dispersion and its inward focusing through compression. Entanglement Compression Theory expresses this balance through a local invariant quantity,

U(x) := T(x) / C(x) ,

where T(x) represents the dispersive tension of the Lawrence Universal Wave Function and C(x) its compressive curvature response. The ratio U(x) quantifies the dynamic equilibrium of the field at each point in space. For a propagating probe, the local effective light speed satisfies

c(x)² = U(x) .

In uniform regions, the field reaches harmonic balance so that U approaches c² and the standard speed of light is recovered. Where compression gradients vary, such as near strong density contrasts, gravitational boundaries, or zones of high coherence, U(x) departs slightly from c². These small differences appear as measurable phase lags or propagation delays.

ECT therefore holds that the observed value of c is not a fundamental constant but an emergent equilibrium of the oscillatory medium. The predicted departures are extremely small, within present experimental limits, yet potentially observable in high-precision environments such as cavity-QED coherence tests, solar-limb ray-path shifts, or interferometer drift measurements. Detecting or constraining these effects would provide a direct empirical test of the compression–balance principle.

4. Emergence and Structural Hierarchy

Entanglement Compression Theory describes emergence as a physical cascade within the Lawrence Universal Wave Function. Each stage of compression produces a new level of structure: phase gradients generate interference, interference forms density curvature, and curvature defines the geometry through which causation unfolds. The macroscopic laws of motion are not imposed; they are emergent regularities of a single oscillatory process.

The hierarchy can be summarized as follows:

• Oscillation: establishes continuity and flux conservation.
• Compression: introduces tension, curvature, and information gradients.
• Curvature: defines geodesic structure and the effective metric.
• Metric: governs all higher-level physical laws and constants.

Spacetime and the constants that describe it emerge as stable equilibria of compression flow. Relativity, field quantization, and conservation laws are large-scale averages of the LUWF’s local compression geometry. Each level inherits coherence from the same governing wave equation, ensuring that physical structure arises continuously rather than through external postulates.

5. Tensor Formalism and Curvature Coupling

The mathematical form of this emergence is expressed by the compression tensor C_μν. In its symmetric representation, C^(sym)_μν = ∇_μ∇_ν(−ln_ερ₁), it functions as an intrinsic geometric source, encoding how information density bends local curvature. The corresponding effective metric is

geffμν = gμν + κ̃L*²C(sym)μν .

Here κ̃ defines the coupling strength between compression curvature and geometric deformation, and L_* marks the coherence scale at which wave-induced curvature transitions from microscopic to macroscopic form. The tensor formalism extends classical differential geometry by embedding compression dynamics directly into the metric field, ensuring that geometry, energy, and probability evolve under a single law. This unified structure governs quantum propagation, gravitational lensing, and metric perturbation within one consistent framework.

In the small-deformation limit, tensor contraction recovers Einstein’s geodesic condition, reproducing standard relativity. At higher compression gradients, finite corrections appear as measurable phase shifts and lensing asymmetries, forming the quantitative bridge between ECT’s mathematics and experimental observation.

6. Toward the Einstein Field Equations: Work in Progress

With compression now established as the source of effective curvature, the next stage extends the formalism into a complete field-theoretic framework. The objective is to derive the Einstein Field Equations directly from compression dynamics, showing that spacetime geometry arises from the same variational structure that governs the Lawrence Universal Wave Function. This phase advances Entanglement Compression Theory from effective geometry to a full tensor–field formulation.

The extension promotes compression to an independent physical field. A scalar C(x) and its tensor derivatives C_μν = ∇_μ∇_νC enter the total action alongside the LUWF and gravitational terms:

S = ∫ d⁴x √|g| [ Lgrav + LΨ + LC + Lint ] .

Here L_grav = (1/2κ)R[g] represents the gravitational Lagrangian, L_Ψ describes the Primordial Wave Equation in curved spacetime, L_C defines the dynamics of the compression field, and L_int couples compression to curvature and matter. Variation of this action produces the modified Einstein equation:

Gμν + Λgμν = κ (Tμν[Ψ] + Tμν[C]) ,

together with companion equations for Ψ and C. In the weak-field limit these reduce to the standard Einstein Field Equations, confirming that general relativity and quantum mechanics both emerge as approximations of the same deterministic law. Compression functions as a legitimate field sourcing curvature, with its own stress–energy tensor and conservation rule.

The forthcoming paper develops this structure in full. It presents the variational derivation, constructs T_μν[C] explicitly, and explores concrete solutions such as a compression-modified Schwarzschild metric and a cosmological background. These results complete the mathematical chain from oscillation and probability to curvature and spacetime, resolving the final theoretical link identified in prior reviews.

A pre-publication summary will appear on the Compression Theory Institute website, followed by the open-access release of Lawrence, W.A. (2025). Compression Geometry and the Einstein Field Equations.

7. Falsifiability and Current Experimental Targets

Entanglement Compression Theory is explicitly constructed to be falsifiable. Every parameter maps directly to a measurable quantity, and each predicted deviation follows from defined terms in the Primordial Wave Equation and the compression tensor C^(sym)_μν. The magnitude of these effects scales with the small-deformation parameters (κ̃, L_*, m_C, λ_C), all constrained by existing precision data. A single verified null result below the predicted sensitivity would rule out the corresponding region of parameter space, making ECT empirically testable on the same footing as established physical theories.

Astrophysical Tests

• Gravitational-lensing residuals: Predicted δθ ≈ 1–3 μas between ECT and GR deflection angles across density-contrast fields in Gaia DR3 and VLBI baselines, arising from compression-gradient terms in C^(sym)_μν.
• Frame-dragging and timing asymmetries: Fractional deviations Δt/t ≈ 10⁻⁸–10⁻⁷ in pulsar-timing and quasar-delay data, scaling with compression curvature along the line of sight.
• Solar-limb propagation: Variable-c prediction Δc/c ≈ (1–3)×10⁻⁶ across solar-limb ray paths, corresponding to gradient-induced refractive asymmetry detectable by high-precision photometry.

Laboratory and Optical Tests

• Interferometer drift floors: Baseline-independent phase drift Δφ ≈ 10⁻¹⁸ rad m⁻¹ from U(x) variability, testable with modern LIGO-class or cryogenic Michelson systems.
• Cavity-QED coherence thresholds: Compression-induced cutoff for spontaneous-emission rate γ_c ≈ (2–5)×10⁻⁵ relative shift from standard cavity-quality factors at critical photon densities.
• Cold-atom and BEC systems: Dephasing-time modification < 1 ppm under controlled density-compression gradients in trapped condensates.

Geophysical and Near-Earth Measurements

• Shapiro-delay corrections: Additional path-time offset Δt ≈ (0.5–2)×10⁻⁶ s for radar signals grazing planetary bodies with significant compression-gradient coupling, measurable in upcoming ESA and NASA timing missions.
• Satellite-laser ranging: Phase anomaly Δφ/φ ≈ 10⁻¹⁴ over multi-orbit integrations, serving as an independent constraint on κ̃ L_*².

Cosmological and Background Constraints

• Dark-energy reinterpretation: The observed Λ term corresponds to a residual compression gradient ⟨C⟩ ≈ 10⁻⁵⁶ m⁻², implying that cosmic expansion reflects a macroscopic compression imbalance rather than a free constant.
• Fine-structure-constant variability: Δα/α ≈ 10⁻⁷–10⁻⁶ near extreme gravitational potentials such as accretion zones or black-hole coronae, within reach of current spectroscopic limits.

These tests span more than twelve orders of magnitude in scale, from laboratory optics to cosmological curvature, yet all trace back to the same compression parameters that define the Primordial Wave Equation. ECT predicts quantifiable, parameter-linked deviations that must either appear at the specified sensitivities or not at all. Upcoming high-precision programs such as Gaia NIR, VLBI 2025+, and LISA-class interferometers are expected to probe or close the remaining parameter window within the next decade.

8. Where ECT Fits Within Modern Physics

Entanglement Compression Theory does not reject quantum mechanics or general relativity. It extends them by identifying the dynamical source from which their laws emerge. In the linear and weak-field limits, the Primordial Wave Equation reproduces the Schrödinger and Einstein equations exactly. All measurable departures arise through small parameters (κ̃, L_*, m_C, λ_C) whose magnitudes are bounded by current experimental data. Because these parameters vanish in validated regimes, ECT is self-limiting and can be audited directly against existing precision tests of relativity, optics, and quantum coherence.

The framework occupies a complementary position within modern physics: a deterministic substrate beneath the statistical structure of quantum mechanics and the geometric formalism of general relativity. Its aim is not to replace established theory but to expose the physical process that gives rise to both. The compression of entangled energy stabilizes probability and curvature as emergent laws.

9. Addressing Common Objections

“Fringe or speculative” label

Such characterizations reflect citation history, not scientific content. ECT is published under registered DOIs with complete mathematical derivations, dimensional analyses, and falsifiable predictions. Each coupling constant has defined experimental bounds, so a single negative result can restrict or eliminate its parameter region, the opposite of an unfalsifiable model.

“Unclear mathematics for the compression operator”

The compression operator is defined in closed logarithmic form and analyzed under δ/ε-regularization to ensure differentiability at all densities. The Mathematical Foundations paper proves global well-posedness of the Primordial Wave Equation in H¹ for d ≤ 3 with bounded time flux, establishing continuity and conservation. The Tensor Formalism extension defines C^(sym)_μν, derives the linearized inverse metric, and applies WKB analysis to verify curvature-consistent transport.

“Variable constants contradict established evidence”

In ECT, constants vary only as effective quantities through U(x), reflecting local compression balance. The linear limit restores fixed c, α, and related couplings wherever experiments already constrain them. Predicted deviations lie far below current detection thresholds and occur only under extreme curvature or coherence, making the claim quantitative and testable rather than a violation of existing physics.

“No peer-reviewed verification”

ECT is distributed through open-access repositories (Zenodo, OSF, Academia) with full transparency of derivations and datasets. Independent replication is built into the framework: microlensing catalogs, pulsar-timing arrays, and precision optical experiments can all supply decisive tests. Because parameters are numerically defined, confirmations or null results will constrain the theory in the same way as other empirical models.

“Black-hole claims are nonstandard”

The compression singularity marks a finite coherence limit where the LUWF’s compression amplitude approaches zero, not an infinite density. This reformulation yields thermodynamic behavior consistent with black-hole boundary conditions while remaining mathematically regular in the field variables. It is treated as a working hypothesis with measurable implications for accretion-zone timing and gravitational-wave dispersion.

“Empirical constraints on variable constants”

ECT acknowledges the stringent limits placed on variation of the fine-structure constant by long-term natural data, such as the Oklo natural reactors in Gabon. These reactors, active two billion years ago, provide one of the most precise benchmarks on α-stability. Observed constraints (Δα/α ≈ 10⁻⁷) show no measurable change, and ECT accepts those results. The theory interprets them as evidence that emergent constants reach equilibrium rapidly and remain stable under ordinary cosmic and geophysical conditions.

In ECT, constants are context-effective quantities arising from local compression balance, not drifting values. The parameters (κ̃, L_*, m_C, λ_C) enforce that any variation in α or c occurs only within compression gradients well below current detectability. Thus natural laboratories such as Oklo, where the ambient compression field was long-term stable, would yield the same constants observed today.

The framework also predicts that localized departures could appear in extreme density or coherence regimes. A revised Oklo-type analysis using ECT’s model could express α as a function of local entanglement gradient, clarifying subtle isotopic anomalies noted in some datasets. Oklo therefore constrains ECT’s parameter space and provides a direct test of the compression-balance mechanism with nuclear-scale precision.

This turns empirical constraint into calibration. Any verified deviation smaller than the Oklo bound would further tighten κ̃L_*², refining the theory’s predictive scale. ECT treats the Oklo benchmark not as a contradiction but as confirmation that emergent constants become effectively invariant once compression equilibria form.

10. What This Page Does Not Claim

• ECT does not replace general relativity or quantum field theory. It provides a deeper substrate that reduces exactly to them in validated domains.
• ECT does not propose that physical constants drift freely. Only context-dependent, compression-effective variations within U(x) are permitted and remain strictly bounded.
• ECT does not assert empirical confirmation. The framework is explicitly open to falsification through the experiments described above.

Taken together, these clarifications define Entanglement Compression Theory as a rigorous, data-driven extension of modern physics. It is grounded in continuity, conservation, and compression rather than conjecture. Its validation will depend not on consensus but on evidence: either the predicted signatures of compression appear, or they do not. In that distinction lies the essence of science itself, where truth is determined by what the universe reveals, not by what we choose to believe.

11. Further reading and canonical sources

Open-access DOIs to the core papers:

• Lawrence, W.A. (2025). Theory of Derived Probability and Entanglement Compression. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15786696
• Lawrence, W.A. (2025). Unified Derivation of Probability, Curvature, and Compression Geometry in Entangled Systems: A Tensor-Formalism Extension of ECT. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17349900
• Lawrence, W.A. (2025). Mathematical Foundations of Derived Probability and ECT: Well-Posedness and Gravitational Tests. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17071135
• Lawrence, W.A. (2025). The Oscillation Principle. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17058692
• Lawrence, W.A. (2025). The General Theory of Entanglement Compression – Explained. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16139573