Question about boltzmann brains

[Baleia espacial]

In the universe of orion's arm, would it be possible to create something equivalent to a boltzmann brain artificially? through the manipulation of thermal / quantum fluctuations (assuming that this is possible) or something similar

[Rynn]

From what I understand a Boltzmann brain is a hypothetical brain created by random fluctuations in an isolated system at maximum entropy. I don't think that would be possible in OA because even the archai couldn't make an isolated system of any use. They could create a baby universe near maximum entropy and collapse the wormhole....but that's not actually useful for anything since it's now isolated. But maybe this is just due to my incomplete understanding of a BB. Could you elaborate on how you think one might be created artificially?

[Drashner1]

After a bit of online reading on what a Boltzmann brain is, I would say that while it would probably be possible for the archai to set up the conditions which would theoretically lead to the creation of said brain, they could not - rather by definition of what a BB is described as - actually cause it to be created. Controlled random quantum fluctuations being something of the same family as 'jumbo shrimp'

In other words, after setting up the necessary theoretical conditions for a BB to form they would presumably have to sit around and wait some indefinite (but likely huge) amount of time for a BB to appear.

Coming at this from a different direction...

If what you're actually asking is whether or not the archai could cause a brain to 'appear out of nowhere' by manipulating quantum fluctuations - I'm going to say I don't think so, but I could be wrong. The uncertainty comes from the fact that the archai can create plasma based minds (mostly in conditions like those found inside a star or black hole accretion disk - but possibly also in extremely cold and/or diffuse plasmas in deep space - think something like the plasma minds imagined by Freeman Dyson or Gregory Benford) and organized structures of manipulated space-time. So they might be able to create a mind of some kind out of even more exotic things that wouldn't be a 'traditional' BB, but also wouldn't be fully 'made of matter' in the way we normally think of such things.

This would be a question for our resident physics gurus the next time they pass through the community or (if we find the question sufficiently compelling) the next time we reach out and ask about various things.

Hope this helps,

Todd

[Rynn]

If what you're actually asking is whether or not the archai could cause a brain to 'appear out of nowhere' by manipulating quantum fluctuations - I'm going to say I don't think so, but I could be wrong.

I'm certainly not one of our resident physics gurus but I suspect that if they could do this then they could do virtually anything. Manipulating quantum fluctuations to produce a brain would be just as hard as manipulating quantum fluctuations to produce any object of similar mass and entropy. If we had the archai doing this then they would be capable of spawning matter and energy from nowhere... Presumably!