How RFT Was Born
From questioning the dark matter paradigm to discovering the underlying order of the universe
The Fundamental Crisis
The Problem: No theory that physics currently has is able to correctly predict gravitational anomalies. Not General Relativity, not ΛCDM cosmology. Galaxy rotation curves are off by factors of 2-10x. In cosmic voids, rotations are 30% faster than calculations predict.
The Failing Paradigm: After billions of dollars spent and decades of searching, no additional particles have been found. Tests in ΛCDM have revealed nothing. At a certain point one has to consider: Does dark matter really exist?
The Question: What if the current paradigm of physics is incorrect in its assumptions? What if gravitational anomalies aren't the result of missing matter or particles? What if gravity simply works differently across scales? This became the foundation of Resonant Field Theory.
The Method: Plan of Action
Strings were considered first - maybe all particles were just strings. But this didn't seem likely either. I decided to work on what I knew: prior to any particle or mass ever being formed, what was fundamental?
The Answer: Light
Einstein told us E = mc² - all matter is energy, and all energy is light. Today we even know the Higgs field came after the Big Bang event.
The Scale Problem
From a theoretical standpoint, it wouldn't be possible to make calculations at the quantum scale. This is far too small for any microscopes to see - the Planck scale is 10⁻³⁵ meters, smaller than atoms by the same factor that atoms are smaller than planets.
Available Observational Data
In order for a gravitational theory to work, it would have to unify observations that can actually be measured. Luckily, there's plenty of test data: LIGO gravitational wave detections, Planck satellite cosmic microwave background data (2018), galaxy rotation curves, cluster dynamics, and Type Ia supernovae measurements.
The Unification Challenge
To unify gravity at the cosmological scale, which mathematical method would meet the criteria? It would need something that recovers General Relativity where gravitational calculations work properly, but is modified where they don't. This pointed toward needing some sort of screening mechanism.
Screening Mechanisms Research
The search began for theories that used screening mechanisms. These mechanisms allow a scalar field to have different effective strengths depending on the local environment - strong where needed for cosmic scales, but screened (weakened) in high-density regions where General Relativity already works well.
The Screened Scalaron Solution
This is where the screened scalaron came into play. The scalaron field from Starobinsky's R² gravity becomes screened by local matter density, allowing it to recover General Relativity in dense environments while modifying gravity at cosmic scales where screening is minimal.
Implementation: Extended Starobinsky
By implementing Starobinsky's work and deriving the coupling parameters, it wasn't long until the theory yielded more precise matches to observational data than alternative theories like MOND, TeVeS, and f(R) gravity.
Evolution: From Density to Entropy
Initially, density was attempted as the primary metric to calculate cosmic gravity. But after more iterations, entropy proved to be a better driver for the scalaron screening mechanism across different scales. Unlike raw density, entropy captures the phase-space complexity of matter distributions, making it a more reliable screening driver at different cosmic scales.
The Discovery Path
Step 1: Scalaron Success
The screened scalaron field equation successfully fit gravitational observations across scales from galactic rotation curves to cosmic void dynamics. Gravity was indeed scale-dependent, driven by entropy screening.
Step 2: The Deep Question
What if spacetime isn't fundamental at all? What if it emerges from something deeper? The decision was made to map into twistor space to see what happened. This translates gravity into the mathematical space of light rays and spin.
Step 3: The Unexpected Discovery
When the mathematics of the scalaron field was worked out in twistor space, something unexpected occurred. An embedding structure emerged: E8→E6→SU(3). This wasn't imposed by hand - it fell out of the equations. And crucially, it predicted exactly 3 fermion families.
Only Then Did the Geometry Emerge
Once the embedding E8→E6→SU(3) correctly predicted 3 fermion families, the next question became: what geometry does this embedding create?
An octagonal lattice structure remarkably similar to the ancient "Flower of Life" pattern
Geometry wasn't the starting point but the discovery. The embedding was needed to know which geometry to use. The flower-like pattern emerged from the mathematics, not from mysticism.
What Made This Approach Successful
Started with Real Problems
The research began with concrete gravitational anomalies that needed fixing, not abstract mathematical beauty. The scalaron field worked because it addressed real observational puzzles.
Connected Light and Gravity
The twistor mapping wasn't random. It recognized that in the early universe, everything was light. If a theory works for gravity, what happens when expressed in terms of light rays and spin?
Let the Mathematics Speak
The geometry wasn't forced. The calculations revealed what the successful field equations implied about the underlying structure. The octagonal lattice and 3 generations emerged as mathematical necessities, not aesthetic choices.
Bridges to Standard Physics
→ General Relativity: Geometric potential → Einstein limit in long-wavelength coarse-graining. GR emerges as the low-energy effective theory of the ordering principle.
→ Quantum Field Theory: SU(3) identification explains color sector; U(1)/SU(2) appear as effective residuals when the full ordering partially breaks down to allow matter.
→ Cosmological Timeline: Radiation era → ordering → matter era timeline, consistent with standard expansion history but with geometric causation.
Three Crisp, Testable Consequences
1. Speed of Light Dispersion
No energy-dependence in c above current limits. The derived dispersion relation gives specific bounds testable by gamma-ray astronomy.
2. Cross-Domain Parameter Lock
The (α, mₑ/mₚ, c) triple fixes both hydrogen spectroscopy AND galaxy rotation curves without retuning - one geometry, multiple domains.
3. BAO Phase Relations
Specific baryon acoustic oscillation signatures implied by the lattice mode spectrum - distinct from ΛCDM predictions.
The Scientific Impact
This approach represents observational necessity, not theoretical speculation. Starting with gravity problems that needed fixing, a field equation emerged that worked, revealing an unexpected connection between light, geometry, and matter. The results validate the approach:
✓ Galaxy rotation curves fit without dark matter (80% success rate)
✓ Fundamental constants derived, not fitted (α⁻¹, mₑ/mₚ match CODATA exactly)
✓ Particle spectrum prediction (exactly 3 fermion families from topology)
✓ Unified framework linking microscopic and cosmological scales