Self-existing objects of time travel

Jinn particle is a mind boggling yet simple concept from theoretical physics that has been explored in fiction. To understand what it is, imagine meeting an old man who gifts you a book. Leaving, he says

"Do not open the book until you know who I am."

Decades pass by and you forget the book in the corner of a closet. Looking in the mirror, one day, you realize that you are starting to appear exactly like that old visitor — maybe you are him? You open the book and find schematics of a time machine. Over the next few years, you digest its contents and construct a time machine. Then, you return the book to the past.

The origins of this book is a perplexing mystery — without a beginning or an end — it just exists in this time loop. But if time travel is real, these self-existing items must exist.

Jinn particles over time

Ordinary books wear out with time; the paper turns yellow, wrinkly, and torn; the print fades. In physics, we call it entropy. To return the book to your past self in exactly the form that you received, either:

1. The book always remains in the exact same condition — time has no effect on it.
2. It reverts to the younger form during time travel. The entropy accumulated by the book is dissipated into the environment.

A human jinn particle

You meet a time traveler at 10 am, today and have a lovely conversation with her. At 10:15 am, she says it's time to go. As she is leaving, you peek inside the time machine and your jaw drops. She has set the destination to 10 am, today — the precise moment she arrived.

This person has changed over the course of the conversation. Her brain formed new connections and memories; her body aged for 15 minutes; she has accumulated entropy. As a jinn particle, she will shed memories of this brief conversation and aging before she arrives.

Implications of their existence

Part of the spookiness of a jinn particle is how certain actions become necessary — you have to return the book to the past. You cannot destroy it. Either the thought itself cannot occur or you refrain from acting on it — perhaps due to a fear of destroying reality. Maybe all your attempts fail due to coincidences or the book simply turns out to be indestructible.

More interestingly, you destroy the book but the schematics of the time machine form in your mind. You write the book and give it to your past self. Then it's not a jinn particle anymore.

Whatever ends up happening, if jinn particles exist, certain events will be predestined. This leaves the notions of free will and non-determinism in jeopardy.