Feynman's Fireflies - A Visualization of Quantum Metaheuristics

more detail on the quantum metaheuristic model here: http://muonray.blogspot.com/2016/11/viewing-meta-heuristic-synchronization.html

In this video I showcase a type of light circuit I made back in 2015 (which I now call Feynman's Fireflies) to demonstrate the principle of emergent behavior in metaheuristic systems, in this case of metaheuristic synchronization of light signals in a network that has been programmed using a Discrete form of the Firefly Biomimetic Algorithm. To my surprise, the wave like patterns that emerged from the discontinuous pas coupling of the oscillation LED flashes reminded me of the description of quantum mechanics offered by The Physicist Richard Feynman, The Path Integral Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. In this description, the path a quanta (i.e. a particle) such as a photon or electron follows is a sum over all possible histories in phase space where each possible path is an element of the sum given by the individual phase amplitude for a given path, eiS/h-bar (where S is the action i.e. the integral over time of the Lagrangian, L, as shown in the upper diagram; the Lagrangian of a path represents the difference between a path’s kinetic and potential energy) by Euler’s formula has a real part and a complex (or imaginary) part so requires for graphical representation can be typically done on an Argand diagram (which has a real horizontal axis and a complex or imaginary vertical axis). In the case of our cycling LEDs they start in a state where they are unsynchronized and follow a sum over possible paths to achieve synchronization with random oscillations that are vulnerable to external stimuli and create an effect which reminded me of the "observer effect" which can happen in the path integral description of an electron following many probable pathways through a double slit forming a wave like pattern when undisturbed and a linear pattern when observed/disturbed. I constructed a model describing this effect in more detail and I was able to find some very interesting relationships between this pseudo-quantum behavior and classical behavior of metaheuristic and coupled networks which show many equivalences which have been of interest to me for some time and which I am happy to share.

video of the making of this circuit: