I'm a CS PhD exploring whether electromagnetic field complexity affects computational density in the Wolfram model. I understand that:

• Everything (including EM fields) must be patterns in the hypergraph
• The multiway graph represents quantum superposition through branching
• Interference corresponds to branch merging

The Core Question I Can't Find Answered For electromagnetic fields specifically: Does the number of update rule applications scale with the complexity of the field configuration? Consider two scenarios with identical total energy:

• Configuration A: Single-frequency standing wave (one photon mode)
• Configuration B: 100 superposed frequencies creating complex interference patterns

What I'm Specifically Asking

1. Update rule scaling: In the hypergraph representation, would Configuration B require ~100× more update rule applications per time step? Or do all EM configurations with the same energy require the same number of updates regardless of their modal complexity?
2. Interference computation: When multiple EM modes create interference patterns (constructive/destructive at different spatial points), does the hypergraph need additional update rules to "compute" these interference terms? Or is interference handled without additional computational cost?
3. Practical counting: For those who have worked with the model's simulations - is there a way to actually count the update rule applications for different field configurations? Has anyone compared simple vs. complex fields?

Why This Matters If complex field configurations require more update rule applications, this would mean:

• Regions with complex EM fields have higher computational density
• This could create additional spacetime curvature beyond what E=mc² predicts
• We'd have a testable prediction distinguishing the Wolfram model from standard GR

If they DON'T require more updates, that's equally important - it would mean the model treats field complexity as computationally "free," which would have different implications for how information and physics relate.

What I've Already Checked I've reviewed the technical documents and understand the general multiway formalism, but I can't find specific discussion of:

• How the number of photon modes affects update density
• Whether superposed EM states branch into separate computational paths that must all be updated
• If there's a computational cost difference between coherent (laser) vs. incoherent (thermal) light

Has this been worked out? Is it still an open question? Or am I misunderstanding something fundamental about how EM fields map to hypergraph patterns?