Mondatons

Mondatons are a fictional concept used in speculative physics and science fiction to denote a hypothetical class of information-carrying quanta. In these treatments, mondatons are ultra-light, weakly interacting particles that can mediate correlations across large scales or within simulated realities, supporting nonlocal links between distant systems. They are typically described as not allowing faster-than-light signaling, but enabling background correlations that mimic global memory.

Origin and usage: The term is primarily found in speculative writings and worldbuilding, with no empirical support. The concept serves as a narrative or theoretical device to discuss distributed intelligence, collective behavior, or pan-system memory.

Properties and models: Mondatons are often assumed to have negligible mass, long coherence times, and interaction cross-sections with ordinary matter that are extremely small. In various models, they arise from a separate framework such as a quantum network or a multiversal field.

Status and critique: Mondatons have no experimental evidence and are not part of mainstream physics. Critics note that adding speculative particles without testable predictions can hinder scientific progress, while supporters use the concept to explore nonlocal information and global connectivity.

In culture: Mondatons appear in novels, games, and thought experiments as devices to examine memory, synchronization, and the ethics of pervasive information networks.