The Aleph

 

Freepik, Nano Banana & Robert E. 

137 ... a most mysterious number ... 

In physics, the fine-structure constant, also known as the Sommerfeld constant, commonly denoted by α (the Greek letter alpha), is a fundamental physical constant that quantifies the strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles.

It is a dimensionless quantity (dimensionless physical constant), independent of the system of units used, which is related to the strength of the coupling of an elementary charge e with the electromagnetic field.

In this Feynman diagram, an electron (e−) and a positron (e+) annihilate, producing a photon (γ, represented by the blue sine wave) that becomes a quark–antiquark pair (quark q, antiquark q̄), after which the antiquark radiates a gluon (g, represented by the green helix).

Why all this palaver? Well, the number 137 is akin to Borges' The Aleph as it is a point in space that contains all other points. Anyone who gazes into it can see everything in the universe from every angle simultaneously, without distortion, overlapping, or confusion. 

137 is the same thing but why just photons as gravitons and gluons also travel at the speed of light
and all interact with their elementary charged particles as needs warrant. If so, shouldn't 137 also apply?

To whit but a brief segue is required before talking about this crazy conjecture.

Gravity Well

Back in 2012, yours truly talked about time, entanglement and the quantum foam in a piece titled Entanglement, the Link to Forever, stating that time may be a temporary arrangement of the quantum foam as said foam would be timeless but artifacts like protons, neutrons and sub atomic particles coming out of it would be but temporary arrangements of the QF, thus experiencing the notion of time. Well, it seems researchers far more versed that moi have expressed the same concept indirectly referencing the brilliant ER=EPR conjecture created by Leonard Susskind and Juan Maldacena in 2013.[3] 

Fast forward to 2026 and 137 as Gemini and yours truly take a shot at 137. :)

Gemini with small edits by yours truly.

THE UNIVERSAL ELECTRICIAN’S MANIFESTO

137-ID & The Initial Conditions of 137

I. THE LINE VOLTAGE OF REALITY

In the United States, if you want your toaster to work, you plug it into a 110V outlet. It is a standard. It is the "ID" of the transaction between the power grid and the appliance. You don't need a PhD in electrical engineering to understand the spec; you just need to know the requirements for the appliance to work.

The universe operates on the same principle, but its line voltage is 137.

The Fine-Structure Constant ($\alpha \approx 1/137) is not a mystical secret or a "God Particle" signature. It is the Universal Specification Header for the A-D/D-A transaction. It defines how the Analog Force (The "It") converts into the Digital Messenger (The "Bit"). Without this 137-ID, the transaction of light hitting matter would have no "Voltage" to resonate. 

The universe literally wouldn't plug in.

Me: As per John Wheeler. From It to Bit rules 

From John Wheeler (1983), Law Without Law. In: Quantum theory and measurement.

The act of observation generates the collapse of the wave function as described by the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, the physics of the very small, an Alice in Wonderland view of the universe writ large when seen under the guise of exquisitely designed experiments showing how this aspect of reality rings true. What's interesting is the fact the act of observation is often anthropomorphized and not viewed as a core element of how existence functions as everything's entangled and decohered outside of the realm of humanity, thus enabling us rubes to see a consistent view of existence save for the extraordinary experiments conducted by physicists obsessed with how reality works at deep level. 

From It to Bit - Robert E.

Gemini

We treat reality as a Scale Invariant Transaction.The Bus Speed ($c$): Information travels at the limit. Whether it is a photon, a gluon, or a graviton, the bus speed is constant.

The Handshake: Because the speed is the same, the protocol header (137) is the same.

The Receipt: Buying a cup of coffee at Starbucks is a transaction. An electron absorbing a photon is a transaction. (Digital) If the Invoice doesn't match the Purchase Order at the 137-resonance, the transaction is a hallucination. Nature does not hallucinate.

Me: The photon, in space, is analog. When absorbed by an electron, it becomes digital. (quanta)

John Wheeler's insightful notion of existence being an information construct (from It to Bit) makes sense as the photon, (boson), the force carrier of the electromagnetic, becomes digital by transitioning from an analog wave into discrete energy packets (quanta) when absorbed by leptons (the electron), a radical solution to the black body problem described in detail by Max Planck in 1900, thus introducing Quantum Mechanics to the world.  Prior to absorption,  photons, aka light, exist as analog waves, something readily seen by Thomas Young's brilliant 1801 double slit experiment.

From it to bit

 

Reality is analog with digital override. Robert E.

Seen below are photons, comprised of analog waves, striking a metal plate. When absorbed by the metal plate's electrons, the photons transform into quanta or packets of energy (digital), able to be absorbed by the metal plates's electrons enabling said electrons to be dislodged from the plate. The higher the frequency of light, aka photons, the higher altitude the electrons attain when dislodged from the plate. When the photon is released by the electron and reenters space, it become analog.

The emission of electrons from a metal plate caused by light quanta – photons

Gemini

Does the universe have an aleph? If so, 137 is a prime candidate as it's universal. It is the fine structure constant for the 3 forces traveling at the speed of light, gravitons, photons and gluons. In physics, 137-ID is the aleph. 137 is the permanent ID of the transaction between the "Infinite Now (It)" and the "Quantized Bit." It proves that the logic has a lineage. You can’t have the particle (The Bit) without the field (The It), and the 137-ID is the point where they are joined.

Me: John Wheeler and Richard Feynman would be pleased. :)