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I have a few fictional particles in my setting that can do many things, however getting them do something specific is the challenging part. There are a class of particles that only work while in the presence of a certain field.

This field is generated by the particle posed in this question, it radiates a special type of field (think electric or magnetic) when oscillating within certain parameters. Factors such as strength and radius are all dependent on the characteristics of the oscillation. This field is mainly used to control the behavior of other particles.

However, unlike normal fields, the quadrants of this field can be controlled. One can essentially subtract pieces of a field. We can define a field as a circle in simple geometric terms. Circles have 4 quarters to them, or quadrants (cartesian graphs also have quadrants). Normally a field has its effects distributed in some uniform fashion. But with this particle, you can generate a "field" where a quadrant/quarter is seemingly missing. Or two. Basically, you'd have a semi-circle, or a quarter circle left. Think of it like taking a piece out of a pie. What's left is the field.

The particle bounces all over the place randomly inside a containment chamber. This is in fact its natural behavior. However, because it's bouncing around randomly, it can't create a field. It needs a certain oscillation with periodicity within a certain interval to generate a field.

Controlling this particle has proven to be a nightmare. Using existing computers and machinery to try and get the particle to move with a certain oscillation in a certain path has proven fruitless. Either it never moves, or computers and their sensors aren't able to monitor it. That was until someone decided to use a bio-organic computer to manipulate it.

The word computer is a bit of a misnomer since it's actually a living organism technically. It interfaces with a human brain to read signals, using them as inputs to calculate things or send output signals. The longer this bio-computer trains with a human, the more accurate it becomes in interpreting what a person is trying to do.

The link is only one way though. A person can only send information and thoughts to this computer. The computer can't send thoughts back to a human brain. Thus, output is fed into wired interfaces that can connect to a computer. Information can come out in the form of either discrete or analog signals. The organism itself can store its own information and can create its own memories. This is in fact how it learns to interpret a person's thoughts much better.

For example, if someone were to think of the statement "5 + 3 is?" the bio computer can spit out 8 in either an analog or digital signal. Of course, it can do more than just math operations since it can be used in basic control systems. For example, someone could instruct it to move the particle in a specific direction or at a certain frequency to create a new field.

The way this computer forces this particle to move about is essentially by having a particle move in a very small organic tube of sorts (think like neurons or ion channels). Like light in fiber optic cables, the particle bounces like crazy in this tube which contorts into the shape of a certain frequency/wave. After a few laps, the particle slowly starts to fly in the path of the tube without smashing into the walls every other second. Thus, creating a field.

All this culminates to the fact that in order to keep a field running for any meaningful amount of time, you need humans hooked up to a bio computer 24/7.

However, trying to replicate the same system using something like rubber tubes and a normal computer fails for inexplicable reasons. Similarly, running it through a bent tube with compressed air pushing it doesn't do anything either.

Why is my bio-organic computer the only thing capable of manipulating my special particle?

One can add features to the bio computer if need be. One can also chose the size of the particle; however, it must be smaller than the tip of a very fine needle.

Notes:

  1. The bio computer cannot and will not work if it's not connected to a person. It enters a hibernation state of sorts when disconnected. Trying to emulate human brain signals or activity using electrodes or wires has proven fruitless. It can tell when it's attached to a human. Data can be copied/sent over from one bio computer to another or to a digital/mechanical data processor to record information.
  2. The particle itself has to oscillate to generate a field. Throwing it in a box, and then moving the box up and down doesn't actually do anything since the particle is just moving in its environment (or not at all if you take the frame of reference to be in the box itself). A spring doesn't oscillate when you throw it into a black box and shake it a bunch. But it does when you pull on the spring and let it go. Same deal here.
  3. If one wants to use electrical, magnetic or radiation fields, they can't be high enough to the point that it kills off a human being. This particle is doing its rounds in a bio computer plugged into a human after all.
  4. The bio computer is capable of doing operations without the use of an electrical charge (though it primarily relies on neurons). There exists a stringy like substance that can be pulled like rope on a pulley. In this case, mechanical (or even fluid) energy can be used to do something.
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  • $\begingroup$ What's a "quadrant"? As in "However, unlike normal fields, the quadrants of this field can be controlled." $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 12:02
  • $\begingroup$ @Daron Imagine running a current through a wire. A circular magnetic field is created perpendicular to the wire. We can define that field as a circle in simple geometric terms. Circles have 4 quarters to them, or quadrants (cartesian graphs also have quadrants). Normally a field has its effects distributed in some uniform fashion. But with this particle, you can generate a "field" where a quadrant/quarter is seemingly missing. Or two. Basically, you'd have a semi-circle, or a quarter circle left. Think of it like taking a piece out of a pie. What's left is the field. $\endgroup$
    – FIRES_ICE
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 12:17
  • $\begingroup$ Sounds good. Add it to the question. $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 12:27

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The computer has precursor DNA

Organic physics and chemistry isn't inherently different to non organic chemistry and physics. As such there must be a difference in information. This computer was designed using alien technology which has a particular DNA signature. The extra dimensional effect was set up by said precursors, and the extra dimensional space evaluates what is going on with the precursor before allowing any special effects to happen.

It would be perfectly possible for humans to access this higher dimension and alter the data so long as they first had access to a supernova's worth of power and a naked singularity. They don't have this access, and so for now they need to rely on the bio computer.

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The computer can manipulate "undetectable" particles, which interact with your special particle

Nobody really understands how this organic "computer" works. Its components are made of materials that interact in unexplainable ways, and it seems impossible to replicate those outside of the organism, as separating any of those tubes or other components from the main body ends up "killing" the separated part, making it unusable.

So that's why you cannot replicate the computer's parts outside of it, but what about how they actually defy physics? Turns out, those parts are used by the computer to interact with a special kind of particles.

Those particles are fairly unique because they barely ever interact with their environment, to the point that their existence isn't more than an hypothesis for the scientific community. What makes them special is the following properties :

  • They can collide with your special particle, slightly changing its course.
  • They can be detected and redirected by the computer's organic components.

Because of those properties, those "invisible" particles can be used by the computer to influence the trajectory of the special particle, until it follows the course needed to create the field.

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Quantum Computer Quantum Consciousness Mumbo Jumbo

All particles come from quantum fields. Quantum stuff behaves according to observers. No one really knows what an observer is. But we seem to agree that conscious beings count as an observer.

Quantum stuff behaves non-deterministically. The quantum field of a travelling particle expands predictably. The field tells you how likely the particle is to be in any particular location. But where it actually ends up is nondeterministic. Another thing that might behave non-deterministically is conscious beings. If free will exists that is.

Your organic computer is like a big brain. It has enough free will to create the correct sorts of quantum fields, and is conscious enough to collapse those fields as the programming dictates. This ballet of propagating and collapsing fields leads to what we observe as special particles.

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Observation collapses wave function

Conscious beings are able to manipulate wave function of these particles, too. Without one, namely a human, the computer only operates on quantum noise, which does not produce anything useful.

Quantum wave function collapse due to observation

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Different kinds of computer

In broad terms there are two kinds of computer (insert binary joke here). Mechanical (analog) and digital computers. One is a continues scale and the other requires discreet values. For easy reference: one uses gears and the other electricity. In reality it gets really complicated though. You can mix so much in both. Mechanical computers can have things with water pressure in tubes moving flaps for example.

Nowadays they are also using combinations. Mechanical computers can be incredibly good at some tasks that digital computers have difficulty with. An example is the security of one company. They have a row of lava lamps that move anout. Pictures are taken of these lamps and a hash is created with it. The lava lamps have heat and liquid dynamics in them, making it incredibly difficult to predict for digital computers. In addition, even an identical setup will produce different results.

We can apply the same concepts here when adding in the organic element. The brain has both mechanical and digital ways of operating. Mechanically with chemicals in the receptors and the connection of the neurons. These are also changing all the time. It is also digital with the electrical impulses. It is therefore easy to compare with digital computers, but it is definitely not the same. Even neural networks in computers are unable to truly capture how a brain works. It is also different in that it has so many parallel processing going on. It is a wonder it all works as a single unit.

The organic is needed because it uses highly complex mechanical and digital signals in a heavily parallel process. It simply can't be taught to an AI. The flexibility of a brain in both the mechanical and digital gives the organics a great advantage. Not to mention it can do things better in parallel, giving off different signals than an AI can.

The learning of control is actually something we have already seen in real tests. With techniques where we measure brain activity, which are often crude needles jammed into the brain, some people can learn to move a mouse on the screen. At first it is linked to a movement of a body part. But as the test subjects got better they could move the cursor without moving the body part, despite identical signals for movement in the brain! At the same time they could control the mouse better. So they learned to do something with a piece of brain that would never, ever occur in nature.

That means that after practice you can have them move and turn an intangible object with a bio computer that only works for organisms.

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Psychic Alien Symbiote

Your organic computer can be an Alien Symbiote with Telekinetic properties. It attaches to humans and feeds on their psychic energies. As a result of this feeding, the Alien learnt to understand human brain waves and produce a desirable effect. When a human isn't feeding the Alien, it becomes dormant and goes into a low energy state.

The reason it can answer 3+5 = 8 is because its stored the previous brain behaviour of other humans and based on the current humans brain waves it matches and outputs this result. Overtime the Alien Symbiote gets more familiar with a individuals brain waves/signals and becomes more attuned to them. Able to better process their thoughts and also pull through knowledge the human may have.

Overtime, the Alien Symbiote has learnt to manipulate your special particle. Originally it was an unexpected side effect, but the Alien Symbiote has been trained over time to actively manipulate this particle.

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