Low-Dimensional Interaction Spaces Impose Geometric Constraints On Collective Organization

Abstract

Collective organization in physical, biophysical, and biological systems often emerges from many weak, local interactions, yet the resulting global structures display striking regularities and apparent limits in diversity. Existing theoretical approaches typically emphasize specific mechanisms, detailed dynamics, or energetic optimization, making it difficult to identify constraints that are independent of microscopic realization. Here we develop a general theoretical framework showing that, when effective interactions among system components compress into a low-dimensional interaction space, global organization is governed by geometric constraints rather than detailed dynamics. We formalize interaction spaces as metric manifolds derived from coarse-grained effective couplings and show that low interaction dimensionality imposes upper bounds on the number, separability, and robustness of distinct collective organizations. These results yield impossibility statements: many conceivable macroscopic organizations are excluded a priori, even when locally compatible interactions exist. The framework applies across equilibrium and nonequilibrium systems without assuming specific symmetries or conservation laws. By shifting the explanatory focus from generative mechanisms to structural constraints, this work establishes a general, geometry-based perspective on collective organization.