Proton, gravity and vacuum structure :
a synthesys of N.Haramein's work
JUNE 25, 2025
Table of content
In 2013, Nassim Haramein proposed a model of the proton based on the quantized geometry of spacetime. This static model relied on a holographic ratio, expressed in Planck units (PSU), between the volume and the surface of the proton. It established an exact correspondence with the measured mass of the particle. However, this approach did not yet model the dynamics of the quantum field nor the physical origin of mass.
In 2022, together with Olivier Alirol and Cyrpien Guermonprez [1], the physicist expanded this framework by showing that zero-point energy (ZPE) constitutes the actual dynamic substrate of the system. The proton is no longer just a structure with a quantized surface, but a resonant cavity that actively interacts with vacuum energy through a process of screening.
This approach includes an analytical reformulation of Einstein’s field equations, incorporating the internal structure of the proton as a source of spacetime curvature. Mass, gravity, and entropy thus appear as emergent effects of a single process: the local reorganization of the quantum vacuum. Geometry is not abandoned; it becomes the visible support of the underlying structured field, linking the local properties of the vacuum to the macroscopic behavior of spacetime.
Mass: geometric ratio (2013) vs. vacuum energy screening (2022)
2013: a static approach to mass
The physicist evaluates the total mass contained in the volume in Planck units and divides it by the number of surface units. This yields the holographic gravitational mass (mh):
where mp is the Planck mass, V the volume, and A the surface
This mass is analogous to that of a black hole with the same radius as the proton, describing an intense internal pressure seen as the core structure of the proton.
He then inverts the ratio, dividing the number of PSU on the surface by the number in the volume:
This value corresponds to the rest mass (mr) of the proton—an external reading of the system, i.e., an inverted holographic interpretation.
Thus, the same geometric structure encodes two types of mass depending on the perspective: internal (black hole/holographic mass) and external (observed proton/rest mass).
Geometry is thus the central element in the 2013 approach. However, this 2013 model remains a static solution based on discrete counting, not yet capturing the vacuum dynamics inside the proton.
2022: a dynamic approach to mass
Mass emergence via ρvac screenings
In 2022, ZPE becomes the core of the mechanism. It is seen as a structured, coherent quantum field capable of local self-organization. When the vacuum is 100% coherent, it equals ρvac (~10⁹³ g/cm³). The proton is modeled as a spherical cavity that filters ρvac energy at two levels:
- At the reduced Compton wavelength [3], a first screening creates a black-hole-like core (gravitational pressure), from which the holographic mass emerges;
- At the charge radius [4], a second screening corresponds to the encapsulation of a coherent energy density, manifesting as the rest mass.
As in 2013, the proton continuously interacts with vacuum energy; however, here it selectively couples to certain vacuum modes, like a dynamic, coherent Casimir cavity. Mass is then interpreted as the residual coherent vacuum energy, encapsulated after screening.
Mass thus emerges dynamically from interaction with the vacuum field. Geometry is preserved, but becomes a visible effect of an invisible dynamic process.
The role of the Kernel-64 and Eta surface
Haramein replaces the simple PSU tiling from 2013 with an organizational pattern that allows specific vacuum fluctuations to be selected and stabilized.
This is the role of the Eta surface (η), defined at the proton’s charge radius. Eta is a dynamic holographic surface between the internal cavity and fluctuating vacuum, filtering field modes and determining which are encapsulated (and thus contribute to mass). It is structured by one or more Kernel-64 configurations.
according to a specific geometry: that of the Kernel-64, a fractal structure made of 64 PSU.
Eta acts like an “organizational horizon”, but unlike the event horizon [5] of a black hole, it is not a static metric—it is actively linked to the quantum cavity’s dynamics.
Alternatively, PSU in their ground state (E₀ < ħω) are undetectable. But when they locally aggregate and move collectively in coherence [6], they begin to create an energy flow: mass [7].
Gravity and entropy: derived from geometry (2013) vs. co-emergent with mass (2022)
Reformulation of Einstein’s field equations
In general relativity, the stress-energy tensor Tμν in Einstein’s field equations represents mass (or energy) that curves spacetime.
In the standard model, mass is input as external information—we neither know how it emerges nor how it organizes in spacetime. Spacetime curvature (and thus gravity) is deduced from Schwarzschild’s solution. Gravity then appears as a geometric consequence of mass-induced spacetime deformation.
In 2022, Nassim Haramein proposes that proton mass directly emerges from local vacuum organization. The tensor is now defined from a coherent energy density originating from the vacuum itself. The proton acts as a filter, organizing fluctuations into a stable structure – like a spherical Casimir cavity. Mass no longer acts on the quantum field; it is an expression of the organized field.
Thus, the 2022 model is inherently geometric and self-coherent. Gravity results from a pressure differential between external (non-coherent) vacuum and internal (coherent) energy. The internal pressure, around 10³⁴ Pa, gives rise to a local gravitational force and an effective temperature [8] comparable to that of a mini black hole. In this view, gravity co-emerges with mass.
From the Planck force to gravitational force
In the 2022 model, the Planck force is a fundamental and extremely intense force associated with the coherent field at the Planck scale. It represents the maximum possible interaction in the quantum vacuum. But it is not directly observable on the macroscopic scale because it is attenuated by screenings.
- The first screening reduces the Planck force to ~10⁴ N, enough to contain the proton’s internal energy.
- The second screening yields a much weaker force (~10⁻³⁴ N), equivalent to Newtonian gravity between two protons.
Thus, gravity as we perceive it is a residual manifestation of coherent quantum gravity.
Entropy: a marker of organization
In the 2013 model, entropy is inspired by Bekenstein-Hawking’s formula: proportional to surface area in Planck units. It’s a static information count, based on a holographic principle.
In 2022, entropy becomes a dynamic phenomenon. The system is locally coherent, and this coherence leaves a measurable entropic imprint.
Where Bekenstein-Hawking entropy applies to an evaporating black hole, Nassim Haramein applies it to a coherent local cavity, akin to a black hole but non-evaporating.
Entropy: A Measure of Quantum Indeterminacy
Reformulating the stress-energy tensor Tμν has implications for the interpretation of mass: it is no longer an external input but the local result of vacuum organization.
In this context, gravity is not an independent force, but a secondary effect of structured vacuum. A more coherent vacuum region (e.g. inside the proton) than its surroundings leads to a pressure gradient, curving spacetime according to Einstein’s field equations.
Entropy becomes a geometric quantification of vacuum organization, tied to the Eta surface [9]. It no longer measures thermal disorder but local vacuum structure. One could say entropy measures the local degree of quantum indeterminacy: fluctuating and incoherent vacuum states yield high indeterminacy; coherent organization (e.g. in the proton) reduces indeterminacy, thus reducing entropy.
In this model, the uncertainty principle is contextual, not fundamental: it depends on the quantum field’s state of organization [10].
Summary
- selects coherent modes
- encapsulates ordered energy
- creates a pressure imbalance (gravity)
- reduces local indeterminacy (entropy)
Notes & references
[1] Nassim Haramein expressed the 2013 model analytically, along with these two physicists, in the paper The origin of mass and the nature of gravity.
[2] PSU are spherical units based on Planck length and density. They are the smallest quantum oscillators in existence.
[3] The Compton length represents the limit at which a particle must be treated with the tools of relativistic quantum mechanics. At this scale, energy is filtered through single PSU.
[4] The charge radius indicates the extent of the zone in which the proton’s electric charge is concentrated. Here, vacuum fluctuations no longer pass through single PSUs, but through Kernel-64s, which further filter the energy.
[5] A limit beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape. The object becomes a black hole.
[6] For more on the coherence and decoherence of the vacuum, see the article on the emergence of mass.
[7] This energy flow is identified with a Planck plasma.
[8] The effective temperature reflects the level of pressure and internal gravitational coherence, which for the proton is equivalent to around 10³⁴ Pa.
[9] Correlation functions are used to model and quantify this organization: they show that fluctuations are not purely random.
[10] To find out more about the reinterpretation of the principle of indeterminacy in Nassim Haramein’s model, see Source and implications of 0-point energy.
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