A geometric framework for interstellar discourse on fundamental physical structures

TL;DR

The paper tackles the problem of establishing a universal channel for interstellar dialogue by moving beyond alphabet-based notation to a geometry-driven, visual language called Physics Lingo. It proposes encoding fundamental geometric structures—vectors, 1-forms, and tensors—into abstract bitmap symbols that can be transmitted as bitstreams and modulated onto radio carriers using schemes such as $\text{ASK}$, $\text{FSK}$, and $\text{PSK}$. Key contributions include a substitution notation for geometric objects and a worked-out bitmap encoding scheme for representations of $(M,g)$, $F=dA$, $\delta P=*d*P=A$, and the Riemann tensor $R^a_{\; bcd}$, illustrating how an advanced ETI might decode and respond based on synthesized physical concepts. The approach emphasizes original synthesis and visualization as a potential attractor for intelligent receivers, proposing a long-term research program toward visualizable human knowledge and interstellar quantum communication paradigms. The work provides a concrete framework that blends differential geometry with practical signal design, aiming to overcome linguistic barriers in cosmic communication.

Abstract

This paper considers the possibility that abstract thinking and advanced synthesis skills might encourage extraterrestrial civilizations to accept communication with mankind on Earth. For this purpose, a notation not relying upon the use of alphabet and numbers is proposed, in order to denote just some basic geometric structures of current physical theories: vector fields, one-form fields, and tensor fields of arbitrary order. An advanced civilization might appreciate the way here proposed to achieve a concise description of electromagnetism and general relativity, and hence it might accept the challenge of responding to our signals. The abstract symbols introduced in this paper to describe the basic structures of physical theories are encoded into black and white bitmap images that can be easily converted into short bit sequences and modulated on a carrier wave for radio transmission.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: Bitmap representation of the symbols in Eqs. (1)-(7) and (9) and bit sequence encoding for the symbol '$($'.
• Figure 2: Bit encoding for the images in Eqs. (6), (7) and (9). The first five rectangles represent some basic geometric concepts, i.e. a vector, a vector field, a $1$-form, a $1$-form field, and a tensor field of type $(2,3)$, respectively. The sixth rectangle describes the spacetime manifold, while the seventh rectangle is devoted to the electromagnetic theory of light, and the eighth rectangle focuses on the Riemann curvature tensor.