The Category Error of Computation and Structural Necessity
Abstract
Conventional complexity theory characterizes computational hardness through the asymptotic growth of time steps, implicitly assuming a topologically trivial solution manifold. This paper interrogates that geometric presupposition by constructing a unified framework synthesizing Algorithmic Information Theory, Homological Algebra, and Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics. This revised manuscript introduces rigorous physical and topological boundaries to computational complexity, addressing the structural nature of the P versus NP problem through four key derivations: Geometric Inevitability: Utilizing Morse Theory and the continuous relaxation of the Ising spin glass Hamiltonian, we demonstrate that NP-complete problems inevitably generate an exponential proliferation of topological voids (non-trivial persistent homology) within their sub-level sets. Dynamical Non-Ergodicity: Applying the multidimensional WKB approximation and instanton action scaling, we establish an absolute physical lower bound on macroscopic tunneling across these homological voids, proving the probability of polynomial-time traversal evaluates to zero. Execution Trace Entropy: Shifting the paradigm from static Kolmogorov complexity to dynamic execution trace entropy, we apply Landauer's principle to show that the logical irreversibility of navigating this fragmented landscape necessitates physically prohibited levels of thermal dissipation. Empirical Phase Transitions: By mapping Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) to overdamped Langevin dynamics, we establish that the empirical failure of overparameterized neural networks on NP-hard tasks is a direct physical manifestation of topological confinement and ergodicity breaking. The inequality of P and NP is thereby derived not merely as a mathematical conjecture, but as a macroscopic boundary condition strictly necessary for the preservation of logical causality and thermodynamic consistency in the physical universe.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Topological and Geometric Data Analysis
Computability
Logic
AI Algorithms
Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 8 March 2026
- Document type
- Preprint