United Field Initiative — Quantitative Limits of Internal Observer Knowledge. Independent research by Ivan Denysov.

I want to KNOW
UFI stands for
United Field Initiative
An open independent initiative investigating the underlying structure of physical reality through rigorous and publicly accessible inquiry.
UFI also stands for
Unified Framework of Internal Observation
A formal framework for structured inquiry into what internal observers can fundamentally infer about the systems they inhabit.
Principles

Principles of the
internal researcher

UFI is not searching for a formula but for an engine — a model whose internal observer empirically recovers our world. These principles set the direction of the search and rule out ill-posed models.

01

Search for the engine, not the description

A UFI result is a model that generates observable physics from local dynamics accessible to an internal observer. Equations, symmetries, and Lagrangians are languages used to describe the engine, not its foundation. When two descriptions yield the same observable regime, the difference between them is operationally secondary.

02

Build theory from the internal observer's position

Every physical theory is formulated through observations available to an observer inside the system: the observation map O : S → M, the spatial resolution B, and the temporal resolution T_obs. Parameters that do not affect the observable dynamics under any choice of observation scheme are physically unrecoverable. The external perspective is not used as explanation.

03

Search for recovery invariants

Priority goes to parameters and structures that remain stably recoverable under changes of scale, representation, and mode of observation. Absolute quantities without operational distinction are unrecoverable by construction. A theory must preserve predictable invariants under coarse-graining and re-description.

04

The model class is declared before measurement

An observer recovers structure only within the bounds of its own model class — cellular automaton, lattice field, agent-based dynamics, spin system, or other. The class is declared in advance, justified explicitly, and compared against alternatives — not retrofitted to the result. A mismatch between model class and observed regime is an error of formulation, not a shortage of data.

05

Treat a limit as a result

The inability to recover a parameter is not a failure of the investigation but a property of the observation system. When distinct engines remain operationally indistinguishable to an internal observer, that fact is recorded as a boundary of recoverability, not as a temporary gap in knowledge. UFI distinguishes the unknown from the structurally underdetermined.

06

Accept only reproducible regimes

A candidate engine must reproduce observable structure stably, not in a single tuning of parameters. Priority goes to regimes that arise naturally — through local rules, critical states, self-organisation, stable invariants. Fine-tuning without a mechanism is not an explanation.

A Result statuses +

UFI distinguishes four statuses for any result.

Theorem

Proven analytically. Example: η(dx) = η(dt) = 0 for any local engine.

Regularity

Empirically supported across engine classes but not yet proven.

Candidate Engine

A model whose internal observer reproduces observable structure, but uniqueness is not proven. The default working status until uniqueness is shown.

Open question

Neither proof nor candidate yet.

B Publication standard +

Every UFI result carries a public, timestamped record — arXiv or Zenodo. No preprint, no listing.

Principles define a result. Status defines its kind. Public record defines a claim. UFI filters by all three — not by reputation.

We work outside institutions so this standard cannot be replaced by reputation.

Research

Published work

Paper 01 · May 2026 · Zenodo

Some properties of reality may be fundamentally unknowable from inside the system.

We tested whether an observer embedded inside a simulated world can recover the parameters of the engine generating it.

Result

Absolute scale cannot be recovered in principle. Not "not yet". Never. Proven analytically for any local engine.

Read full paper
ufi.observer/#paper-01
knowability coefficient
η = I(p ; O(S)) / H(p)
theorem 1 · proven analytically
η(dx) = 0    η(dt) = 0
for any local engine, any observer
η runs from 0% (structurally invisible) to 100% (fully recoverable).
How much can an internal observer recover?
Game of Life
13.6%
Lattice Boltzmann
22.1%
Wave Equation
28.9%
Ising Model
14.9%
Boids (Agents)
30.3%
A Core claims +
η
Knowability is measurable. We assign a precise number to what can be known from inside a system.
Some things are structurally unknowable. Not by instrument quality — by logic. η(dx) = η(dt) = 0, proven.
Phase transitions maximise knowledge. The critical point is where structure reveals itself most clearly.
Open to anyone. Standard: one verifiable public record on arXiv or Zenodo.
Knowing is not a claim.
It is a coefficient.
B Key discoveries +
01
Some parameters are structurally unknowable. Absolute scale (dx, dt) cannot be recovered in principle, regardless of measurement quality.
02
Critical states maximise recoverable information. Systems near phase transitions reveal their structure most clearly. η peaks at criticality.
03
Recovery requires the correct model class. Using the wrong model leads to fundamental blind spots. η > 0 only when the observer's model matches the engine's continuum limit.
Internal observers do not recover reality.
They recover invariant structure.
Contact

If you work
inside the system — write.

UFI investigates the recoverable structure of physical reality from the position of an internal observer. We accept theorems, regularities, candidate engines, and open questions — inside or outside institutional research.

Archive the work on arXiv or Zenodo, state the claimed status, and send the link.

Idenisov81@gmail.com
GitHub Sponsors · In preparation