Emergence of Minkowski Spacetime by Simple Deterministic Graph Rewriting

Abstract

The causal set program and the Wolfram physics project leave open the problem of how a graph that is a (3+1)-dimensional Minkowski spacetime according to its simple geodesic distances could be generated solely from simple deterministic rules. This paper provides a solution by describing simple rules that characterize discrete Lorentz boosts between 4D lattice graphs, which combine further to form Wigner rotations that produce isotropy and lead to the emergence of the continuous Lorentz group and the (3+1)-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. On such graphs, the speed of light, the proper time interval, as well as the proper length are all shown to be highly accurate.