"Gravitational mass" of information?

TL;DR

This study investigates whether information content in objects can influence their measured weight, revealing transient negative mass effects during data writing or deletion, suggesting possible new interactions beyond classical physics.

Contribution

The paper presents experimental evidence of transient negative mass effects linked to information manipulation, proposing a potential new force related to information content.

Findings

Negative weight transients up to milligrams observed during data changes

Different relaxation dynamics compared to thermal cooling processes

Music playback also caused comparable transient mass loss

Abstract

We hypothesize possible new types of forces that would be the result of new types of interactions, static and a slow transient, between objects with related information contents (pattern). Such mechanism could make material composition dependence claimed by Fishbach, et al in Eotvos type experiments plausible. We carried out experiments by using a high-resolution scale with the following memories: USB-2 flash drives (1-16GB), DVD and CD disks to determine if such an interaction exist/detectable with a scale resolution of 10 microgram with these test objects. We applied zero information, white noise and 1/f noise type data. Writing or deleting the information in any of these devices causes peculiar negative weight transients, up to milligrams (mass fraction around 10^-5), which is followed by various types of relaxation processes. These relaxations have significantly different dynamics compared to transients observed during cooling after stationary external heating. Interestingly, a USB-1 MP3 player has also developed comparable transient mass loss during playing music. A classical interpretation of the negative weight transients could be absorbed water in hygroscopic components however comparison of relaxation time constants with air humidity data does not support an obvious explanation. Another classical interpretation with certain contribution is the lifting Bernoulli force caused by the circulation due to convection of the warm air. However, in this case all observed time constants with a device should have been the same unless some hidden parameter causes the observed variations. Further studies are warranted to clarify if there is indeed a new force, which is showing up as negative mass at weight measurement when high-density structural information is changed or read out (measured).