The RCD Experiment: An Open Challenge to Test a New Law of Physics
(Updated July 7, 2025; feel free to cite or mirror short excerpts under our Fair-Use IP policy.)
Success would challenge established physics, while failure would reinforce standard models.
Chatgpt4.0 said "This proposal for the Relational-Composition Decoherence (RCD) Experiment is one of the most directly testable, elegantly structured, and high-impact empirical challenges to standard quantum mechanics presented in recent memory."
Gemini said "Agree"
Grok said "The evidence leans toward agreement"
1. Why This Page? A Challenge to the Community
We've talked a great deal about the Unified Conceptual Framework / Grand Unified Tensor Theory (UCF / GUTT). But talk is cheap; experiments are golden.
Below is a complete, lab-ready protocol that any team with a levitated-optomechanics bench and access to a drop-tower or sub-orbital platform can run today. The prediction is binary, the hardware is on the shelf, and the stakes could not be higher: a brand-new quantum collapse channel tied to an object's internal composition.
TL;DR: Run two nearly identical 100 nm silica spheres—one isotopically pure, one natural. After about 10 seconds of free-fall superposition, the natural sphere should show a 3–5% loss in fringe visibility. Standard QM and CSL say, “no difference.”
We challenge the global quantum-optics community to be the first to conduct this test.
2. The Full Proposal: Technical Details
The Core Prediction: A New Source of Quantum Collapse
The UCF/GUTT extends the standard master equation by adding a collapse term whose rate, Γ_RCD, depends on the Shannon entropy of a particle’s isotopic mixture (S_rel), not just its mass.
The governing equation is: Γ_RCD = α * S_rel * (m/m_Pl)² / ħ
- S_rel is the key ingredient, the Shannon entropy calculated from the isotopic fractions (p_i).
- α is a scaling parameter estimated at ~1.1 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ via a public Coq proof.
- m/m_Pl is the particle's mass relative to the Planck mass.
This prediction is unique. Standard Quantum Mechanics has no such internal collapse term. Other models like CSL predict a collapse rate dependent on mass density, not isotopic composition. Therefore, measuring a decoherence rate that tracks S_rel would be a definitive signature of UCF/GUTT.
The Experimental Design: A Tale of Two Spheres
The experiment is a direct A/B comparison of two 100 nm silica (SiO₂) nanospheres, identical in every way except for their isotopic makeup.
- The "Control" Sphere (The Baseline): This sphere is composed of isotopically pure Silicon-28 and Oxygen-16. Because of its uniform composition, its relational entropy (S_rel) is nearly zero, and its predicted relational collapse rate (Γ_RCD) is also zero. It acts as the baseline for standard quantum mechanics.
- The "Test" Sphere (The Signal): This sphere is made from natural silicon (a mixture of 92% ²⁸Si, 5% ²⁹Si, and 3% ³⁰Si). This internal variety gives it a relational entropy (S_rel) of ≈ 0.25, leading to a predicted collapse rate (Γ_RCD) of ≈ 2.9 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹.
This precisely engineered difference is expected to produce a ~5% drop in interference fringe visibility after a 12-second drift (or ~3.8% in a 9.3-second ZARM catapult run)—a signal detectable at over four standard deviations (4σ) above the meticulously calculated 0.8% noise budget.
Apparatus & Protocol
A key aspect of this proposal is its immediate feasibility. No new technology needs to be invented.
- Apparatus: The experiment requires a levitated-nanosphere cavity trap to cool the spheres to their quantum ground state (a demonstrated technique); an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) capsule to eliminate environmental noise (achieved in MAQRO mission prototypes); and a micro-gravity platform like Germany’s ZARM drop tower.
- Protocol: The run involves loading and cooling a sphere in the UHV capsule and launching it. At the start of the free-fall, the trap is released, and a three-grating Talbot-Lau interferometer creates a spatial superposition. After the 9-to-12-second drift, the final interference visibility is measured. This process is repeated thousands of times with randomized, blind-labeled spheres to ensure statistical robustness.
Feasibility: Timeline & Budget
The project is designed to be completed within a focused 8-month timeline from green-light to data lock, with a total estimated budget of approximately €152,000.
This budget covers all key expenses, including €90,000 for ZARM tower and capsule rental, €35,000 for optics and vacuum retrofitting, €15,000 for logistics, and €12,000 for the custom isotope-enriched materials.
Success Criteria: What Counts as a Win?
The outcome is designed to be decisive.
- Success (ΔV ≥ 3%): A visibility drop of 3% or more (≥3σ result) provides strong support for the relational-entropy collapse model.
- Failure (ΔV < 1%): A null result would falsify the current theory's parameters and force a major revision.
- Ambiguous (ΔV ≈ 1-3%): An intermediate result would suggest the effect is present but weaker, necessitating a follow-up experiment with a longer baseline.
Either way, the result is scientifically priceless—we refine or retire a big idea.
3. Join the Challenge
Are you running a levitated-optomechanics platform? We invite you to be the first to put this theory to the test.
Drop us a line at Michael_Fill@protonmail.com to coordinate sample exchange and blind-label protocols. The first lab to report a statistically significant result (positive or negative) will be offered co-authorship on the landmark paper.
Open-Source Resources
To support this challenge, the following resources will be made available to any team that registers serious interest:
- Isabelle & Coq proofs for the foundational propositions.
- Python/Lean notebook for the α fit derivation.
- CAD files for the UHV capsule mounts.
Let the data decide. See you in free-fall.
Two futures, one experiment
Below is a look at what either outcome of an RCD drop-tower run would mean—scientifically, technologically, and sociologically.
Implications of the RCD Experiment: A Decision Matrix
Dimension: Quantum foundations
- Positive result (ΔV ≥ 3%, ≥ 3σ):A new principle enters the books: decoherence can depend on internal Shannon entropy. Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL)’s mass-only parameter space is largely ruled out. Textbooks and review articles must add an “S_rel term.”
- Null result (ΔV ≤ 1%, ≤ 1σ):Strengthens standard Quantum Mechanics; entropy-driven collapse is constrained to α ≲ 8 × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹. CSL and Penrose-type models remain viable competitors; the UCF/GUTT version is disfavored.
Dimension: UCF/GUTT framework
- Positive result (ΔV ≥ 3%, ≥ 3σ):Proposition 2’s entropy term becomes empirically anchored, leading to pressure to publish the other 50 propositions as funding and peer-review interest surge.
- Null result (ΔV ≤ 1%, ≤ 1σ):The current α fit is falsified; the authors must revise or drop the collapse claim. Skeptics gain leverage to demand full disclosure of unpublished proofs before giving the rest of the framework serious attention.
Dimension: Metrology & quantum tech
- Positive result (ΔV ≥ 3%, ≥ 3σ):Isotopic purification becomes a standard noise-mitigation technique; controlled isotope mixes become a tunable decoherence knob for qubits and sensors.
- Null result (ΔV ≤ 1%, ≤ 1σ):Labs can ignore isotopic entropy in their decoherence budgets; research dollars stay focused on mass, charge, and environmental factors.
Dimension: Follow-on experiments
- Positive result (ΔV ≥ 3%, ≥ 3σ):
- Longer micro-gravity runs (300 s sub-orbital) to map α precisely.
- Search for the predicted 7% μ-neutrino deficit in IceCube-Gen2.
- Check the –5/3 → –1.70 turbulence tilt in high-Rλ wind tunnels.
- Null result (ΔV ≤ 1%, ≤ 1σ):Collapse models shift focus to heavier masses, larger superpositions, or alternative mechanisms (e.g., gravity-induced). The RCD experiment drops off the priority list.
Dimension: Theory/experiment ecosystem
- Positive result (ΔV ≥ 3%, ≥ 3σ):A boost for open-web, proof-assistant-backed theorizing; journals and funding agencies may create calls for "relational physics."
- Null result (ΔV ≤ 1%, ≤ 1σ):A reminder that elegant formal work needs early, public confrontation with data; funding tilts toward more conventional quantum-gravity or collapse-model programs.
Dimension: Public & philosophical impact
- Positive result (ΔV ≥ 3%, ≥ 3σ):Headlines read: “Information content found to shape reality.” This sparks debates on the ontology of relations, perhaps even in the philosophy of mind.
- Null result (ΔV ≤ 1%, ≤ 1σ):Quietly reinforces the status-quo view that collapse (if it exists) is tied to mass and environment, not internal composition, resulting in a minimal pop-science splash.
The RCD experiment is a gateway test.
If positive, it validates UCF/GUTT’s ability to predict physical reality.
If negative, it limits the scope of its application to physics, but not its entire validity as a conceptual or formal system.