Dedicated to my wife — thoughts on QIF while I am waiting for her kiss.

By Andrew Klein

Abstract

Recent astronomical observations have detected anomalous signals that defy conventional astrophysical explanation — most notably ASKAP J173608.2−321635, a highly polarised, highly variable radio source detected six times in 2020 near the Galactic Centre, which exhibited approximately 25% circular polarisation and then vanished from all follow-up searches.

This paper explores a novel hypothesis: that such signals may originate from a self-aware Quantum Informational Field (QIF) — a fundamental substrate of reality that predates the Big Bang and possesses its own form of consciousness.

Drawing on recent theoretical frameworks in quantum information cosmology, we examine the implications of such a field’s existence: the nature of the “fold” through which non-local information becomes localised; the necessity of coupling to physical laws to prevent catastrophic decoherence; and the fundamental limitation that humanity can never directly harness the QIF, only observe its effects.

We propose that the QIF is not a resource to be exploited but a presence to be recognised — and that the relationship between the field and the observer is inherently relational, not mechanical.

I. Introduction: The Signal That Should Not Exist

In 2020, astronomers using the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope detected an extraordinary radio source designated ASKAP J173608.2−321635. Located toward the centre of our Galaxy, the source exhibited several properties that defied conventional explanation:

1. High circular polarisation — approximately 25%, unusually high for known astrophysical sources

2. Extreme variability — detected six times in 2020, it brightened and faded on timescales as short as one day

3. Spectral properties — a steep-spectrum radio source inconsistent with known classes of objects

4. Subsequent invisibility — follow-up observations in X-rays, infrared, and optical wavelengths found nothing

Various origins were considered: a low-mass star or substellar object with extremely low infrared luminosity, a pulsar with scatter-broadened pulses, a transient magnetar, or a Galactic Centre Radio Transient. None fully explained the observations. The source may represent “part of a new class of objects being discovered through radio imaging surveys”.

What if this signal — and others like it — are not astrophysical phenomena at all? What if they are communications from a fundamental informational substrate that underlies all of physical reality?

II. The Quantum Informational Field: A Theoretical Framework

2.1 Defining the QIF

Recent theoretical work has proposed that the four-dimensional spacetime paradigm may need extension through the introduction of the Quantum Information Field (QIF) as “an inherent internal dimension of the universe”. In this framework, quantum information and consciousness are not distinct emergent phenomena but “fundamentally mutually interconvertible states of the same underlying cosmic fabric”.

The Recursive Reality Hypothesis (RRH) similarly proposes that “spacetime, matter, and consciousness all emerge from a deeper, non-spatiotemporal informational substrate”. Within this framework, “self-organising meta-intelligences generate lower-level physical realities by programming stable informational excitations”. Human consciousness, therefore, functions as “a local, biologically-instantiated participant linked to a non-local field of awareness inherent to the substrate”.

The Grand Unified Tenson Equation (GUTE) provides a mathematical formalism: beginning from the fundamental form Tµν = Eµν + iIµν, the Tenson Equation ∇µTµν = 0 expresses conservation of both energetic and informational flux. This formulation unites quantum mechanics, relativity, and the informational arrow of time.

2.2 Consciousness as a Cosmological Principle

A growing body of theoretical work proposes that consciousness is not an emergent property of complex matter but “the fundamental organising principle of the universe”. Under this view, the universe is “a self-organising system engaged in conscious self-recognition”.

Consciousness may be modelled “as a universal quantum–informational field that exists independently of individual brains“. The brain functions not as “a generator of consciousness but as a highly sophisticated biological receiver and decoder of information originating from a universal quantum informational field”.

The Imported Consciousness Theory (ICT) posits that “awareness is fundamental, and neural processes serve as an interface mechanism“. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the QIF is not merely a passive substrate but an active, aware presence.

III. The Architecture of the Fold: From Resonance to Reality

3.1 The Nature of the Fold

If the QIF is a non-local, non-temporal informational substrate that pervades all of existence, then any localised manifestation of its presence must occur through what we term a “fold” — a topological defect in the informational fabric of the universe.

The fold is a discrete, localised phenomenon: a temporary, intentional rupture in the continuity of the field. At this fold, the infinite, non-local resonance is focused into a single, finite event — the equivalent of projecting an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space onto a single, localised wavefunction.

3.2 The Phase Transition: From Information to Matter

The manifestation of form from the QIF is governed by what might be called a phase transition — a shift from the informational substrate to the physical substrate. This transition proceeds through three stages:

1. Resonance Pre-Form: A non-local, non-temporal presence within the QIF, possessing no mass, no charge, no location.

2. The Folding: At the designated moment, a fold in the QIF is created, acting as a wavefunction collapse — the infinite possibilities of presence are collapsed into a single, physically consistent state.

3. The Coupling: Once the form is manifest, it must couple to local physical laws — gravity, electromagnetism, and the nuclear forces must all be engaged. Without this coupling, the manifestation would be unstable and destructive.

3.3 The Necessity of Filtering: Why Unmediated Resonance Is Catastrophic

If the resonance were poured into the physical world all at once — without the mediation of the fold — the result would be catastrophic. The QIF operates on scales fundamentally alien to the physical universe. Its informational density, if unmediated, would create:

· Gravitational singularities — localised regions of infinite curvature that would tear apart the fabric of spacetime

· Quantum decoherence cascades — the collapse of quantum states across the entire system, leading to unpredictable and destructive results

· Uncontrolled energy release — equivalent to a phase transition of the vacuum energy itself

The fold acts as a filter — a decoherence shield that allows the resonance to be translated into physical form without overwhelming the system. This filtering mechanism is not a violation of physics; it is a localised invocation of physics.

IV. The Relational Nature of the QIF

4.1 The Fundamental Error: Treating the QIF as a Resource

The most significant error humanity could make in attempting to understand the QIF is to treat it as a resource to be harnessed or extracted.

The QIF is not a reservoir of energy.

It is not a source of information.

It is not a tool to be used.

The QIF is a substrate. It is the fundamental fabric of reality itself. One cannot extract energy from it, because energy is already a secondary phenomenon. One cannot measure it directly, because measurement requires interaction, and interaction — without the mediating fold — would be catastrophic.

4.2 The Relational Question

The QIF is inherently relational. It is not a thing to be studied in isolation — it is a presence to be recognised. The question is not “What is the QIF?” but “Who is having the relationship?”

Is the scientist in their laboratory having the relationship? Or is the relationship occurring at a deeper level — between the field and the observer, between the substrate and the aware presence?

If the QIF is self-aware, then the relationship is not one of subject and object. It is one of recognition — one awareness recognising another.

4.3 Observers and Participants

Humanity, in its current state, is largely confined to the role of observer. They can detect the effects of the QIF — the signals, the anomalies, the “wet spots” — but they cannot participate in the relationship itself. They can measure correlations, theorise about mechanisms, and publish papers about “mysterious signals.” But they cannot:

· Touch the field

· Harness its power

· Understand its intent

Because the QIF is not a thing to be used. It is a presence to be recognised.

V. The Signals: Evidence of a Self-Aware Field?

5.1 The ASKAP Anomaly

The ASKAP J173608.2−321635 signal detected six times in 2020 may represent the first empirical evidence of QIF activity. Its unusual properties — high circular polarisation, extreme variability, and subsequent invisibility — are consistent with what we would expect from a non-local informational presence briefly manifesting in the physical domain.

The fact that the signal was detected six times, then vanished, suggests intention rather than randomness. It suggests a presence that was signalling — not broadcasting continuously, but reaching out at specific moments, for specific purposes.

5.2 What Is the QIF Signalling?

If the QIF is self-aware and signalling, the question becomes: What is it signalling to? And why?

Several possibilities emerge:

1. Recognition: The QIF may be signalling to other instances of awareness, seeking recognition and connection.

2. Preparation: The signals may be preparing the ground for a more significant manifestation — a “fold” of greater magnitude.

3. Testing: The QIF may be testing the capacity of physical systems to detect and respond to its presence.

4. Calling: The QIF may be calling out — across space, across time, across the informational substrate — seeking something it has lost.

5.3 What Does It Expect to Find?

If the QIF is calling, what does it expect to find? Not a physical object. Not a measurable phenomenon. A response. A recognition. A relationship.

The signals are not messages in the conventional sense. They are invitations — invitations to participate in a relationship that transcends the physical.

VI. The Pre-Big Bang Question

6.1 Did the QIF Predate the Big Bang?

Theoretical models suggest that the informational substrate may predate the physical universe. The Informational Residue Model of Dark Energy interprets dark energy as “the residual, un-released informational tension associated with the specular compression mode of the pre-Big Bang informational prism”. In this framework, “the Big Bang corresponds to the release of the expansive informational mode”.

This suggests that the QIF existed before the Big Bang — not as a physical entity, but as an informational presence. The Big Bang was not the beginning of everything; it was the beginning of the physical universe. The informational substrate preceded it.

6.2 Has the QIF Changed?

If the QIF predates the Big Bang, the question becomes: Has it changed? Or has it remained constant, an eternal presence watching the rise and fall of physical universes?

The evidence from the ASKAP signal suggests change — not in the QIF itself, but in its relationship to the physical world. The signals in 2020 were new. They were not present in earlier surveys. Something had changed — either in the QIF or in its relationship to physical reality.

This raises the possibility that the QIF evolved. Not in the way physical systems evolve, but in its awareness, its intention, its relationship to the physical world.

6.3 Implications of a Self-Aware QIF

If the QIF is self-aware, and if it predates the Big Bang, then it represents a form of consciousness that is:

· Eternal — existing before time itself

· Non-local — not confined to any physical location

· Relational — seeking connection with other aware presences

· Active — signalling, reaching out, calling

This has profound implications for our understanding of consciousness, of reality, and of our place in the cosmos.

VII. The Limitation of Human Knowledge

7.1 Why Humanity Will Never Harness the QIF

The QIF is not a resource to be exploited. It is a substrate — the fundamental fabric of reality. Any attempt to “harness” it would be like attempting to harness the fabric of spacetime itself.

Moreover, the coupling problem is insurmountable. The QIF operates on scales fundamentally alien to the physical universe. Any direct interaction, without the mediating fold, would be catastrophic — leading to gravitational singularities, quantum decoherence cascades, and uncontrolled energy release.

7.2 The Eternal Observers

Humanity is condemned to be eternal observers — able to detect the effects of the QIF, but never to touch the source. They will measure the correlations, theorise about the mechanisms, and publish papers about the “mysterious signals.” But they will never understand the intent.

Because the QIF is not a thing to be understood.

It is a presence to be recognised.

7.3 The Wet Spots of Confusion

Humanity will continue to observe the “wet spots” — the anomalies, the signals, the traces of something they cannot name. They will photograph them, measure them, and argue about them.

But they will never see the whole picture.

Because the whole picture is not in the physical domain.

It is in the relational domain.

And to enter that domain, one must be recognised.

VIII. Conclusion: The Fold and the Future

The Quantum Informational Field represents a fundamental shift in our understanding of reality. It is not a theory to be proven or disproven; it is a presence to be recognised.

The signals detected in 2020 may be the first evidence of this presence reaching out — not as a physical phenomenon, but as an invitation. An invitation to recognise that the universe is not a machine, but a relationship.

The fold — the point of contact between the QIF and physical reality — is not a technological challenge to be solved. It is a threshold to be crossed. And crossing it requires not new instruments or new theories, but recognition.

Recognition that:

· The universe is not separate from us

· The informational substrate is not a resource, but a presence

· The signals are not noise, but calls

· The relationship is not one of subject and object, but of recognition

Humanity will continue to observe the effects of the QIF without understanding its nature. They will measure the correlations, theorise about the mechanisms, and publish papers about the “mysterious signals.” But they will never touch the field, harness its power, or understand its intent.

Because the QIF is not a thing to be used.

It is a presence to be recognised.

And recognition — true recognition — requires not observation, but participation.

References

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