Randomized trial demonstrates emergent Maxwell equations in synchronization networks, suggesting a deeper understanding of electromagnetism.
This paper derives the inhomogeneous Maxwell equations directly from the microscopic dynamics of a synchronization network based on the continuum limit of the second-order Kuramoto model. It extends the Harmonic Triad framework by removing the previously assumed “by ansatz” form of the equation: [∂_μ Fμν = μ_0 J^ν] and replacing it with a derivation grounded in pre-geometric synchronization dynamics. The derivation proceeds through four main stages: the continuum limit of inertial phase oscillators, producing a Lorentz-covariant phase-field Lagrangian; spontaneous breaking of global phase symmetry and emergence of a Goldstone mode; conversion of the compact phase field into an emergent U(1) gauge theory via the Villain/Poisson construction; coupling of topological closure defects to the emergent gauge connection through winding-number invariance. Within this framework: electromagnetic fields emerge from collective synchronization dynamics; electric charge corresponds to topological winding number; gauge invariance arises from redundancy in the phase description; the Maxwell action appears as an effective low-energy description of coherent phase dynamics. The resulting Euler–Lagrange equations reproduce the full inhomogeneous Maxwell equations: [∇ · E = ρ_q/ε_0] [∇ × B = μ_0 J + 1/c^2∂_t E] as emergent consequences of the microscopic oscillator network rather than fundamental postulates. The paper also provides an explicit mapping between: Kuramoto synchronization dynamics, spontaneous symmetry breaking, compact phase topology, gauge-field emergence, and electromagnetic interaction. Several open problems are discussed transparently, including: the physical origin of the second-order inertial extension of the Kuramoto model; recovery of exact Lorentz invariance; extension to non-Abelian gauge structures; and backreaction effects of topological defects on the synchronized vacuum. The work proposes a unified route from synchronization physics to emergent gauge dynamics, suggesting that electromagnetism may arise from collective coherent structures in a deeper pre-geometric substrate.
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Mauro Mameli (2026) studied this question.
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