Vairioms

Vairioms is a fictional term used in science fiction and speculative fiction to denote a hypothesized class of quantum-inspired excitations. In typical portrayals, vairioms are short-lived quanta that couple to information channels rather than to conventional forces, allowing a controlled modification of coherence and entanglement in a localized region. This enables explanations for anomalous measurement results, rapid information transfer, or the appearance of nonlocal effects within a closed system, all while staying within imagined physical laws of the setting.

The name is usually presented as an invention within a given universe, combining elements suggested by words like variance and ions, with no single canonical etymology across works. Variants of the concept appear in different authors' lore, ranging from tiny, easily generated fluctuations to more persistent excitations that can be steered with specialized hardware. In some depictions, vairioms can be harnessed to encode information directly into the fabric of a system, effecting changes in state without conventional signaling. In others, they serve as plot devices to justify near-instantaneous communication or retrocausal storytelling, often accompanied by cautions about experimental uncertainty and measurement back-action.

Reception among readers and scholars within these fictional contexts is typically mixed: proponents view vairioms as a flexible tool for exploring information theory and causality, while skeptics treat them as a convenient narrative fudge. See also: quantum information, decoherence, nonlocality.