# Astrophysical constraints on the simulation hypothesis for this Universe: why it

Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.08461
Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Astrophysical-constraints-on-the-simulation-hypothesis-for-this-Universe-why-it?index=0x681a0ee49d09461934f8cbfb7089b5d95430e51ea7191f356cec2797ac3c07ee8eb47b82
Submitted by tim on 2025-05-06 UTC, 1 upvote, 0 comments

## Summary

Franco Vazza argues that the simulation hypothesis for this Universe is nearly impossible on physical grounds, based on constraints linking information and energy and on known astrophysical limits. He examines three cases: simulating the entire visible Universe, simulating Earth only, and a low-resolution simulation of Earth compatible with high-energy neutrino observations. In all cases, the paper finds the energy or power required is either incompatible with physics or astronomically large, even at the lowest resolution. It concludes that only universes with very different physical properties could simulate this one, and that a simulation by a universe with the same properties is impossible regardless of future technology.

## Article

Astrophysical constraints on the simulation hypothesis for this Universe: why it is (nearly) impossible that we live in a simulation

Authors: F. Vazza

We assess how physically realistic the ''simulation hypothesis'' for this Universe is, based on physical constraints arising from the link between information and energy, and on known astrophysical constraints. We investigate three cases: the simulation of the entire visible Universe, the simulation of Earth only, or a low resolution simulation of Earth, compatible with high-energy neutrino observations. In all cases, the amounts of energy or power required by any version of the simulation hypothesis are entirely incompatible with physics, or (literally) astronomically large, even in the lowest resolution case. Only universes with very different physical properties can produce some version of this Universe as a simulation. On the other hand, our results show that it is just impossible that this Universe is simulated by a universe sharing the same properties, regardless of technological advancements of the far future.