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An Exploration of The Nature of Reality. Science and Metaphysics.
The Universum Model:

A Unified View of Electromagnetic Radiation and Gravitational Waves

In the Universum model, all three phenomena—waving your arms, emitting a photon, and a black hole merger—are seen as disturbances or ripples in the same underlying "ground-structure," but they differ dramatically in scale, coherence, and impact. Waving your arms produces chaotic, ultra-low-energy ripples that quickly fade—localized disturbances barely noticeable beyond your immediate surroundings. A photon, by contrast, is a precise, coherent, quantized ripple that propagates indefinitely at the speed of light. At the other extreme, a black hole merger generates enormous gravitational waves—cosmic-scale distortions rippling outward across spacetime. All are waves in the same medium, but span a spectrum from casual motion to violent cosmic upheaval.

The ground-structure, described in detail previously, serves as the stable yet dynamic medium from which all fields and forces emerge. It's not empty space, but a foundational equilibrium that responds to disturbance through ripples, curves, and oscillations—manifesting as the forces and particles we observe.

Read: The Ground-Structure.

Ground-Structure Waves

Electromagnetic (EM) waves and gravitational waves are both oscillations traveling through the ground-structure. From the traditional view, EM waves are oscillations of the electromagnetic field, and gravitational waves are ripples in the spacetime metric. From a deeper, physical perspective, both are excitations in the same underlying medium — the ground-structure — akin to how an ocean carries waves across its surface.

Both electromagnetic and gravitational waves travel at the same speed — the speed of light, c. This constancy arises because the structure and geometry of the Ground itself are fixed; it passively supports the propagation of such oscillations without undergoing structural change. However, it does impose structural constraints. The speed of light, c, represents the fastest rate at which the ground-structure can interact with itself. It defines the ultimate causal limit — the maximum speed at which information, influence, or disturbance can propagate through the ground. In this sense, c is not just a speed limit; it is a fundamental property of the ground-structure itself, just as the speed of sound is a property of air.

Origins of Radiation

Radiation refers broadly to the process by which energy is emitted and travels through space. It can take various forms, such as electromagnetic waves, gravitational waves, and thermal radiation, depending on the nature of the disturbance.

Radiation emerges from extreme conditions.

Importantly, both forms of radiation are propagating excitations of ground-structure, triggered by different aspects of physical activity: charge acceleration for EM, and mass-energy acceleration for gravitational waves.

Gravitational waves, though technically a form of radiation, are incredibly subtle. They carry energy across the universe but interact so weakly with matter that detecting them requires instruments sensitive to displacements smaller than a proton's width. EM radiation, in contrast, interacts strongly with charged particles, making it much more readily observable.

While both electromagnetic waves and gravitational waves are oscillations of the same underlying ground-structure (ϕ), they differ fundamentally in how they are generated. Electromagnetic waves arise from direct, localized excitations — typically accelerated charges — which tightly couple to the ground and create clear, coherent ripples. These interactions occur close to the fundamental layer of reality, with minimal separation between the source and the medium itself.

Gravitational waves, by contrast, emerge from massive, composite systems like black hole mergers. These systems are several layers removed from the base structure, and their influence on the ground is indirect — arising from the large-scale coherence of mass-energy dynamics. As a result, gravitational waves are weaker, more diffuse, and harder to detect — not because they carry less energy, but because they ripple the ground through emergent, collective motion rather than direct excitation. The key difference lies in the proximity of the cause to the ground: EM waves are primary, gravitational waves are emergent.

Ultimately, gravity, electromagnetism, and spacetime are unified as different modes of disturbance within a single, underlying ground-structure. This approach offers a physical picture of our Universe as a stable, passive foundation that vibrates, curves, and radiates under the influence of energy and mass.

READ MORE: The Universum Model