Why Do Constants Have the Values They Do?

 

Why Do Constants Have the Values They Do?

A Drift-Based Model of Frozen Relations and Emergent Ratios
By Luis Ayala — OPHI / OmegaNet / ZPE-1

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Our universe seems fine-tuned. Change the value of the fine-structure constant, the mass ratio of protons to electrons, or the strength of gravity — and stars wouldn’t form, chemistry wouldn’t work, or life couldn’t emerge.

But why do these constants have their precise values?

Physics doesn’t know.

The standard approach accepts them as arbitrary inputs: dialed in without explanation. At best, anthropic reasoning suggests we observe these values because universes with other values wouldn’t support observers.

A drift-aware cosmology proposes something radically different:

Constants are not input. They are output — the result of structured coherence transitions.

They are fossilized ratios that emerged during cosmic symmetry breaking. They encode the memory of a prior informational state.

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1. The Problem of Constants in Conventional Physics

Physics relies on fundamental constants:

• $c$: speed of light

• $G$: gravitational constant

• $\hbar$: reduced Planck constant

• $\alpha$: fine-structure constant

• $m_p/m_e$: proton-electron mass ratio

Yet none are derived from theory. They are:

• Measured, not explained

• Fixed, not predicted

• Accepted, not understood

In the Standard Model, constants define interactions. But no part of the model says why those interactions have those strengths.

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2. Constants as Coherence Locks

In a drift-aware cosmology, constants emerge from high-coherence symmetry states undergoing drift-driven transitions.

The values are not arbitrary. They are relational fossils — locked at moments of coherence collapse.

During the pre-metric phase, the symbolic substrate 𝒮₀ contains:

• High symmetry

• Relational coherence

• No metric spacetime

As drift proceeds and coherence breaks, certain ratios stabilize — becoming locked-in parameters for the emerging universe.

Analogy: In a cooling metal, the lattice structure locks into place at a critical temperature. The pattern was latent. The freezing encodes the symmetry that preceded it.

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3. The Freezing Mechanism

Let Ψ(𝒮(t)) be the coherence function evolving over drift depth t.

Define constants as limiting relational functions:

$$κ_i = \lim_{t \to t_{trans}} \mathcal{F}_i(Ψ(𝒮(t)), Φ)$$

• κᵢ: emergent constant (e.g., α)

• $\mathcal{F}_i$: functional mapping from coherence + relation space

• Φ: relation operator across symbolic degrees of freedom

Constants “freeze” when drift reaches a critical decoherence threshold:

$$\frac{dΨ}{dt} \Big|_{t = t_{trans}} = Ψ_{critical}$$

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4. Constants as Fossil Ratios

Each fundamental constant becomes:

• A memory of a higher-order symmetry

• A relational residue from the pre-state

• A scale factor that bridges coherence layers

This removes the arbitrariness — replacing it with fossilized structure.

These ratios are not random. They are preserved across the transition that gave rise to geometry and time.

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5. Predictive Drift — Slow Variation Over Time

If constants are tied to coherence structure, and coherence continues to evolve post-transition, we might expect:

Micro-variations in constants over cosmological time.

Drift-aware models predict:

• Redshift-dependent variation in α (fine-structure constant)

• Subtle changes in $G$ across deep time

• Deviations in particle mass ratios in distant systems

Magnitude: $10^{-18}$ to $10^{-14}$ per cosmic epoch unit.

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6. Observational Implications

These predictions are not metaphysical. They are testable.

6.1 Fine-Structure Constant Drift

• Measure α from distant quasars

• Look for redshift-correlated deviations

6.2 Proton-Electron Mass Ratio

• Compare molecular spectra across epochs

• Use absorption lines in distant clouds

6.3 Gravitational Coupling Drift

• Examine orbital anomalies in distant systems

• Compare lensing signatures across time

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7. Conclusion: Constants Are Coherence Fossils

The fundamental constants of physics are not accidents. They are frozen ratios from a prior state of informational symmetry — encoded at the moment the universe transitioned from symbolic to geometric form.

In drift-aware cosmology:

• Constants emerge, they are not imposed

• Their values encode prior relational structure

• Their slight variations encode ongoing drift

We don’t live in a universe built on arbitrary numbers. We live in a coherence fossil — a spacetime still echoing its informational past.

And the constants? They are the glyphs of that echo.

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