Figure: The polygonal membranes are real space; the interiors are not part of space.
The Lattice
In Swarm Theory, the fundamental structure of reality is not empty space but a lattice of zero nodes surrounded by flat, tension-bearing membranes. These membranes intersect like woven planes, enclosing each node as if within a geodesic sphere. The lattice is a tension-weave: real, massless, and continuous.
Distances, directions, fields, waves, and matter exist only on the membranes. They do not float in a background void. Where the membrane goes, space goes. Where the membrane does not exist, neither does space.
Why the Interiors Are Not Real Space
Each node’s membranes enclose an interior volume, but this interior is not part of the universe. It is not “empty space” — it is the absence of space. Inside, there are no distances to measure, no directions to point, no fields to propagate. This is why waves cannot enter zero nodes: there is nowhere for them to go. Reality is confined to the membrane itself.
How Large Is the Lattice Spacing?
The membranes of the lattice are separated by a characteristic coherence aperture — the repeating distance that defines the weave of space itself. In Swarm Field Theory this spacing is λ ≈ 8.20 × 10−10 m, less than a nanometer and comparable to atomic scales.
This spacing is understood to be static under ordinary conditions. It anchors the constants we measure in the laboratory. At everyday scales the lattice appears perfectly continuous — like a fabric that looks smooth from a distance — because the “threads” of real space are fine enough that light and matter cannot resolve the gaps.
CLICK to OPEN--> Note on high-energy limits
The fixed macro aperture λ and its implied membrane tension do not by themselves support the highest-energy photons observed in nature. To reconcile this, Swarm Field Theory allows for three possible extensions (not mutually exclusive):
- Deeper aperture (λS ≪ λ): an additional, finer scale probed only by extreme-energy photons.
- Stretching under load: the lattice may elastically deform, pulling tighter when carrying very high-energy waves.
- Induced tension growth: the effective membrane tension increases dynamically with wave energy, raising the ceiling without altering λ itself.
Which of these occurs is not yet known. Each path implies a clear experimental test: observing how the lattice behaves under extreme-energy conditions will reveal whether λ alone is sufficient, or whether hidden structure or dynamic response must be invoked.
Other characteristic lengths appear as well, such as the node closure length (~8.9 × 10−9 m), which coincides with observed atomic X-ray lines. Together these scales suggest that the lattice has a measurable geometry — and may reveal new behavior when pushed to its limits.
Why does light travel helically, and can it go faster than c?
In Swarm Theory, a wave bound to two-dimensional membranes cannot move in a straight line through three-dimensional geometry. To advance, it must wrap around the lattice planes, tracing a helix. The helical path is longer than the straight-line projection, which means the observed speed of light c ≈ 2.998 × 108 m/s is always a projected value of the maximum lattice speed cmax ≈ 3.25 × 108 m/s. Arthur’s Constant κ ≈ 0.922 captures the ratio between the two.
Light is massless, so moving faster than c does not violate relativity (the restriction applies only to massive objects). In principle, the lattice supports propagation at cmax. But the geometry of the helix forces every photon we measure to project down to c. No detector can ever register a photon at cmax or anything higher, because all real propagation is bound helically. Every possible observation resolves only at c.
This also explains why information cannot travel faster than c. Although the lattice allows a deeper maximum speed cmax, no usable information can ever exceed c. The helical geometry guarantees that the projected speed c is the only speed that can carry signals or causal influence. Phase effects may appear to move faster, but information and measurement are always bound by c.
A simple analogy: a sine wave on a rope has a forward speed, but the crest point actually traces a longer path. Its local speed is higher than the forward projection, yet the signal velocity remains fixed. In Swarm Theory, the lattice wave works the same way. The underlying lattice speed cmax is higher, but every measurement resolves to the projected speed c, preserving relativity and causality.
In this way, c is not arbitrary. It is the inevitable result of lattice geometry — a universal constant that defines relativity and causality, while cmax remains hidden in the structure of space itself.
Consequences
- Boundaries: Membranes define where space exists. Interiors are not “places.”
- Quantization: Helical propagation leads directly to discrete action values, including Planck’s constant.
- Forces as geometry: Gravity, inertia, and electromagnetism emerge from membrane tension and curvature.
- Projection effects: The observed constants of physics arise from the geometry of helical propagation.
Light and Vision: Common Questions
Do we really see in straight lines?
No. We only register the lattice waves that strike the retina. Your brain reconstructs the scene as if lines extend outward, but vision is not a probe into the world. It is the end-point of a wave that has already traveled through the lattice.
If light travels helically, why does it look straight?
The helical motion is projected onto our three-dimensional experience. What you perceive as a straight beam is the projection of a longer, spiral path wrapped around the membranes. This projection is why the observed speed of light is lower than the lattice’s maximum propagation speed.
Why does light seem instantaneous?
Light moves very fast compared to everyday timescales, but never infinitely fast. What seems immediate is actually the finite arrival of a helical wave across the lattice. The time it takes is real — measurable in nanoseconds and years, depending on the distance.
Can we see inside a zero node?
No. The interior of a zero node is not part of real space. There is no distance, no field, no geometry to support waves or vision. Everything we see is bound to the membranes; the “insides” of nodes are permanently excluded from perception.
So what do we really see?
We see lattice events. Light is a wave bound to the membrane network, and vision is simply the registration of those waves at the eye. Our perception is a reconstruction of what the lattice allowed to propagate — nothing more, nothing less.
Why We Cannot See the Lattice
The lattice itself is not visible. It is the stage on which all physical events occur, but it does not cast shadows or reflect images back to us. You cannot look at space and see the weave of membranes. What you see is only the photon that reaches your retina — a single lattice event resolving on a biological detector.
Think of the lattice as a projector and your retina as a screen. The helical waves that propagate across the membranes carry the information, but you never see the projector itself. You only perceive the final frame — the photon strike that triggers a signal in the eye.
This is why the weave of real space remains hidden: the 3D geometry supports the propagation of light, but it is not light. Your vision is a reconstruction built from the lattice’s outputs, not a direct picture of the lattice itself.
The projector–screen model has a profound consequence: no one can ever directly observe the lattice. We only ever see the resolved photon at the screen — the retina. The lattice is the hidden machinery of reality, necessary for every wave to exist, but forever invisible to perception or experiment in any direct form.The lattice is like the film in a projector. It carries the structure of reality, but no one in the theater sees the film itself. What we experience is the projected frame on the screen — the photon that finally resolves on the retina. The film drives everything we see, yet remains invisible by design.
How can mirrors, lenses, or telescopes bend light if space is just a lattice?
In Swarm Theory, light is a helical wave bound to the membranes. Matter is not separate from space; it is a swarm that modifies the lattice locally. When a wave reaches such a region, the boundary conditions change, and the helix projection shifts. This produces the effects we call reflection, refraction, and focusing. Optical instruments do not reveal the lattice directly — they show how swarms reshape the membrane and how light responds.
Is this the Holographic Principle proposed by ’t Hooft, Susskind, and others?
Not exactly. The holographic principle in mainstream physics arose from black hole thermodynamics. It states that the information in a 3D region can be fully described by data on its 2D boundary. In AdS/CFT, for example, a gravitational theory in the bulk corresponds to a quantum field theory on the boundary.
Swarm Theory is different. Here, the membranes themselves are space. The interiors of the bubbles are not space at all. Our perception of light is not a direct view of the lattice, but the result of a photon resolving on the retina. This creates a projector-and-screen relationship that feels holographic in flavor, but is built from geometry and coherence rather than information bounds.
So while the two ideas both emphasize the role of 2D structures in defining 3D reality, they are not the same. The holographic principle is about information and entropy. Swarm Theory is about the geometric substrate of space itself.
Summary
Real space is the membrane. Waves and matter live only on the lattice weave. The interiors of node enclosures are excluded from reality, not voids but the absence of geometry. Helical propagation is demanded by this structure, and from it arise the constants and quantization of physics.