Abstract:
This paper introduces Syntactic String Theory (SST), a novel framework that re-conceptualizes computation as a physical phenomenon emergent from one-dimensional information systems. We posit that the fundamental object of computation is not an abstract symbol but a “syntactic string”—a sequence of symbols whose properties are governed by principles analogous to those in theoretical physics. By grounding the axioms of formal language theory in the physics of 1D systems, information theory, and statistical mechanics, SST provides a new lens through which to view computational complexity, algorithmic structure, and the very nature of information. We demonstrate that syntactic constructs (e.g., functions, loops) can be modeled as “vibrational modes” or “excitations” of the underlying string, each with a characteristic “syntactic energy” corresponding to its complexity. A key finding is the identification of a computational phase transition: the move from regular to context-free grammars mirrors the emergence of long-range, power-law correlations characteristic of critical systems in physics. This framework reframes classic complexity problems as questions of informational energetics and suggests that the thermodynamics of computation is a direct consequence of the physical nature of syntactic structures. SST offers a unifying bridge between the abstract world of algorithms and the physical universe, with profound implications for the limits of computation and the design of future artificial intelligence
Yıldırım, E. (2025). Syntactic String Theory: A Unidimensional Framework for Computation. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17043941
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