The Complexity and Information Content of Simulated Universes

TL;DR

This paper explores how Information Theory can quantify the complexity of cosmological simulations, helping to understand the emergence of cosmic structures and improve simulation strategies.

Contribution

It introduces the application of Information Theory to measure and analyze the complexity of numerical universe simulations, linking physical processes to emergent cosmic structures.

Findings

Information measures the total complexity of the cosmic web.

Complexity analysis identifies key physical processes across cosmic epochs.

Potential to enhance simulation refinement strategies.

Abstract

The emergence of a complex, large-scale organisation of cosmic matter into the Cosmic Web is a beautiful exemplification of how complexity can be produced by simple initial conditions and simple physical laws. In the epoch of Big Data in astrophysics, connecting the stunning variety of multi-messenger observations to the complex interplay of fundamental physical processes is an open challenge. In this contribution, I discuss a few relevant applications of Information Theory to the task of objectively measuring the complexity of modern numerical simulations of the Universe. When applied to cosmological simulations, complexity analysis makes it possible to measure the total information necessary to model the cosmic web. It also allow us to monitor which physical processes are mostly responsible for the emergence of complex dynamical behaviour across cosmic epochs and environments, and possibly to improve mesh refinement strategies in the future.