Proposal Introduction - Spatiotemporal Structures to Music from a Quantum Field-Theoretic Framework (Draft 20260206)
Citation: HUANG, W. (2026, February 5). Spatiotemporal Structures to Music from a Quantum Field-Theoretic Framework. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B62GP
The nature of music and how it emerges has long been a topic of philosophical and scientific inquiry (Scruton, 1997; Levinson, 1990). One influential interpretation, the structural-generative account, posits that music is constituted by regularized structures and the generative processes through which these structures unfold (Lerdahl & Jackendoff, 1983).
In recent years, the transformation of diverse spatiotemporal structures into music has emerged as a significant research topic (Hermann et al., 2011; Dubus & Bresin, 2013). This endeavor holds both theoretical and practical importance. Theoretically, it offers scientific and philosophical insights into understanding what constitutes music (Davies, 2003). Practically, it advances inclusion by enabling individuals with disabilities to create music through alternative spatiotemporal modalities, such as movement patterns or electroencephalographic (EEG) signals (Miranda & Brouse, 2005; Rosenboom, 1990). From existentialist and eudaimonic perspectives, this facilitates the freedom and well-being of people with disabilities (Ryan & Deci, 2001).
However, a unified language and framework for interpreting and implementing mappings from diverse spatiotemporal structures to music remains absent. In physics, quantum field theory (QFT) serves as a universal language for describing how spatiotemporal structures emerge and evolve (Peskin & Schroeder, 1995; Weinberg, 1995). Inspired by this, the present work aims to employ QFT to model different spatiotemporal structures, their generative rules, and processes, and to establish mappings from these structures to musical spatiotemporal structures. Furthermore, we examine the philosophical implications and potential debates surrounding this approach.
Specifically, our research questions are: (1) How can structures and their generative processes be modeled using QFT? (2) How can QFT-based generative models, including generative rules and parameters, be learned from data? (3) How can such models be evaluated? (4) As a preliminary case study, how can EEG signals be modeled via QFT and mapped to music? (5) What are the philosophical dimensions and potential controversies of this method?
In brief, our methodological approach proceeds as follows. For a given spatiotemporal structure, we employ triangulation methods from quantum field theory to decompose it into simplices (Regge, 1961; Ambjørn et al., 2012). We then use QFT formalism to describe how these simplices combine to form complex spatiotemporal structures and evolve over time. For the mapping to music, we model both musical and non-musical structures using QFT-based spatiotemporal frameworks. We then seek an optimal mapping between the two models. This mapping is formulated as an optimization problem and explored through optimization algorithms.
As an initial evaluation of this approach, we conduct case studies on EEG data, mapping these signals to music using the proposed framework. We expect this work to systematically provide a general framework for describing diverse spatiotemporal structures, their generative rules and processes, and for establishing structure-to-music mappings, alongside philosophical discussion and perspectives on the method.
References
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