Phase-Lag Interferometry

This experiment tests the central prediction of the Horizons-as-Dimensional-Interface Framework (HDIF): that spacetime’s curvature response exhibits a small, frequency-dependent delay when coupled to matter. This delay appears as a measurable phase lag in precision interferometric signals.

Why It Matters:

A nonzero phase lag would indicate that curvature does not respond instantaneously, but instead retains a form of geometric memory. Detecting this effect would provide direct experimental evidence for curvature–memory coupling and extend the standard formulation of general relativity.

Methods

A controlled, time-varying gravitational source is placed near a precision interferometer, such as an atom interferometer or optical cavity system. By modulating the source at frequency ω and measuring the resulting phase shift, the experiment probes whether the curvature response is delayed relative to the driving signal.

The predicted observable is a frequency-dependent phase shift:

ΔΦ(ω) ≠ 0

Predicted Signatures

HDIF predicts:

A small phase lag between source modulation and interferometer signal
Peak response near the characteristic regime (ωτ ~ 1)
A smooth frequency-dependent phase curve

FALSIFICATION CRITERIA

The framework is falsified if:

No frequency-dependent phase lag is observedAll measurements remain consistent with instantaneous curvature responseNo deviation appears near the predicted peak-response regime

INTERPRETATION

This experiment directly tests the observable chain:

Memory Kernel → Curvature Response → Acceleration → Interferometer Phase

A detected phase lag would indicate that spacetime encodes prior states in its response, consistent with a causal memory kernel.