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Information Geometry and the Variational Structure of Physical Dynamics: A Rigorous Foundation

Authors: Perry, Anthony L;

Information Geometry and the Variational Structure of Physical Dynamics: A Rigorous Foundation

Abstract

<span>We develop a mathematically rigorous variational principle on statistical manifolds equipped with the Fisher information metric. Starting from seven axioms characterizing&nbsp;</span><span>distinguishability between probability distributions, we prove via Chentsov's theorem that the Fisher metric is the unique (up to a positive constant) Riemannian&nbsp;</span><span>structure satisfying these information-theoretic requirements. We then show that geodesic motion on this manifold, subject to domain-specific constraint functionals, recovers the equations of motion governing Hamiltonian mechanics, quantum unitary evolution, thermodynamic relaxation, evolutionary replicator dynamics,&nbsp;</span><span>and natural gradient descent.&nbsp;</span> <div> <span>Our main contributions are: (i) a complete proof of metric uniqueness from physical axioms; (ii) rigorous consistency demonstrations with explicit error bounds; (iii) seven novel, falsifiable predictions - including quantum decoherence rate scaling with the quantum Fisher information, evolutionary speed limits, and neural network capacity scaling C ~ N0.6 three with preliminary numerical support; and (iv) explicit falsification criteria. We address anticipated criticisms, including the constraint problem, the signature problem, and questions of novelty beyond reformulation.&nbsp;</span> </div> <div> <span>We emphasize throughout that this framework is a reformulation revealing structural unity across disciplines, not a derivation of fundamental constants or a Theory of Everything. All constraint functionals encoding domain-specific physics must be specified externally. The mathematics is rigorous, the predictions are testable, and the question is well-posed. Now nature must answer.</span> </div>

Keywords

variational principles, Intersectional Framework, Hamiltonian Dynamics, Lagrangian Formalism, statistical physics, geometric mechanics, optimal transport theory, variational inference and optimization, Machine Learning, entropy and thermodynamics, Fisher Information Metric, Dynamical systems, Machine learning, physical information theory, Riemannian Geometry, Differential Geometry, Physics/statistics &amp; numerical data, Information Geometry, statistical manifolds, Geodesic Flow, Geometric Mechanics, Symplectic Geometry, Dynamical Systems, geometric analysis, riemannian geometry, Mathematical physics, Physics/statistics & numerical data, Variational Calculus

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
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