The experimental confirmation of Landauer principle and the emerging concept of a computational universe make it more and more crucial to understand the physical sense of information, as it has an intrinsic relation with observer knowledge that is often rejected as subjective. In this paper we propose an objective definition of phase information in a purely classical computational universe with quantized phase states, this quantization being imposed by our fundamental hypothesis that physical information has a finite and limited density, responsible for the irreversibility. We use a statistical study of results obtained by numerical simulations of a billiard to highlight an excessive and paradoxical loss of phase information that we solve by involving a classical to quantum transition. After discussing the pertinence of such a transition to clarify some problematic aspects of statistical physics, we conclude that a computational universe should automatically lose phase information through time in an irreversible way, which could be compensated by a gain of physical information due to observation and decoherence.The experimental confirmation of Landauer principle and the emerging concept of a computational universe make it more and more crucial to understand the physical sense of information, as it has an intrinsic relation with observer knowledge that is often rejected as subjective. In this paper we propose an objective definition of phase information in a purely classical computational universe with quantized phase states, this quantization being imposed by our fundamental hypothesis that physical information has a finite and limited density, responsible for the irreversibility. We use a statistical study of results obtained by numerical simulations of a billiard to highlight an excessive and paradoxical loss of phase information that we solve by involving a classical to quantum transition. After discussing the pertinence of such a transition to clarify some problematic aspects of statistical physics, we conclude that a computational universe should automatically lose phase information through time in an irreversible way, which could be compensated by a gain of physical information due to observation and decoherence.

Nov 21, 20130 citations

Complexity-driven transitions in quantum observation

Zhenyu Du, Siyuan Cheng, Han Ye +3 more

Observing the physical world is a foundational pursuit in science. In the quantum realm, however, observation necessitates a fundamental quantum-to-classical conversion: destructive measurements irreversibly project quantum states into classical data, inevitably incurring a loss of information. What physical principles govern this information loss, and how can we construct optimal measurements to maximize the readout? Here, we address these questions by establishing an intrinsic relationship between readout capability--quantified by the ratio of accessible classical Fisher information to the total quantum Fisher information (QFI), and measurement complexity--defined as the quantum circuit depth required prior to projection. Remarkably, we uncover a sudden emergence of observability: a sharp hidden-to-visible transition driven entirely by measurement complexity. We rigorously prove that below critical depth thresholds-- $Θ((\log n)^{1/δ})$ for $δ$ -dimensional architectures and $Θ(\log\log n)$ for all-to-all connectivity--readout capability decays exponentially with system size $n$ , rendering the quantum information fundamentally inaccessible. Surprisingly, immediately above this threshold, the system enters a visible regime: we demonstrate that randomized measurements universally recover a constant fraction of the QFI using approximate unitary 3-designs, for which we explicitly develop optimal-depth circuit constructions tailored to finite-dimensional architectures. By unveiling the fundamental scaling laws and transitions that govern quantum observation, our results delineate definitive resource boundaries for quantum learning, state certification, and quantum metrology.Observing the physical world is a foundational pursuit in science. In the quantum realm, however, observation necessitates a fundamental quantum-to-classical conversion: destructive measurements irreversibly project quantum states into classical data, inevitably incurring a loss of information. What physical principles govern this information loss, and how can we construct optimal measurements to maximize the readout? Here, we address these questions by establishing an intrinsic relationship between readout capability--quantified by the ratio of accessible classical Fisher information to the total quantum Fisher information (QFI), and measurement complexity--defined as the quantum circuit depth required prior to projection. Remarkably, we uncover a sudden emergence of observability: a sharp hidden-to-visible transition driven entirely by measurement complexity. We rigorously prove that below critical depth thresholds--$Θ((\log n)^{1/δ})$ for $δ$-dimensional architectures and $Θ(\log\log n)$ for all-to-all connectivity--readout capability decays exponentially with system size $n$, rendering the quantum information fundamentally inaccessible. Surprisingly, immediately above this threshold, the system enters a visible regime: we demonstrate that randomized measurements universally recover a constant fraction of the QFI using approximate unitary 3-designs, for which we explicitly develop optimal-depth circuit constructions tailored to finite-dimensional architectures. By unveiling the fundamental scaling laws and transitions that govern quantum observation, our results delineate definitive resource boundaries for quantum learning, state certification, and quantum metrology.

quant-pharXiv:2606.09765Jun 9, 20260 citations

Measurement as a Coordination Breakdown A Foundational Clarification on the Quantum–Classical Transition

Darrren Cudd

This note reframes the quantum measurement problem as a physical boundary condition rather than a dynamical or interpretive paradox. It argues that measurement corresponds to the point at which global coordination of quantum phase information becomes physically impossible due to fundamental limits imposed by relativistic causality, thermodynamic irreversibility, and information transfer constraints. Classical outcomes emerge not from wavefunction collapse or observer intervention, but because coherent quantum description cannot be sustained once synchronization demands exceed the universe’s finite coordination capacity. The work introduces measurement as a coordination breakdown, grounding the quantum–classical transition in physical realizability rather than additional postulates or modifications to quantum mechanics.This note reframes the quantum measurement problem as a physical boundary condition rather than a dynamical or interpretive paradox. It argues that measurement corresponds to the point at which global coordination of quantum phase information becomes physically impossible due to fundamental limits imposed by relativistic causality, thermodynamic irreversibility, and information transfer constraints. Classical outcomes emerge not from wavefunction collapse or observer intervention, but because coherent quantum description cannot be sustained once synchronization demands exceed the universe’s finite coordination capacity. The work introduces measurement as a coordination breakdown, grounding the quantum–classical transition in physical realizability rather than additional postulates or modifications to quantum mechanics.

Jan 3, 20260 citations

Deterministic Instantiation within an Informational Ontological Framework: Reconceptualizing Quantum Decoherence as a Thermodynamic Phase Transition

El Bouazzaoui TAYB

The transition from a unitary quantum superposition to a single, localized classical outcome — the measurement problem — is reframed as a deterministic thermodynamic phase transition driven by informational density gradients. Building on Wheeler’s “it from bit” and Landauer’s principle, we treat the vacuum as a high‑density computational lattice. We introduce the Principle of Fundamental Binary Duality, asserting that every physical state is intrinsically coupled to a conjugate partner, and we derive a Critical Instantiation Threshold (HcritHcrit) — the exact environmental entropy required to break this coupling and force classical localization. Applying the threshold across the Standard Model reveals a mass‑decoherence scaling law: lighter particles resist instantiation far more strongly than heavy ones. For macroscopic objects, the ambient entropy of the cosmic background overwhelms the threshold by eighteen orders of magnitude, permanently enforcing classical determinism without observers or branching worlds. The framework provides a strictly mechanical, parameter‑free resolution of the measurement problem.The transition from a unitary quantum superposition to a single, localized classical outcome — the measurement problem — is reframed as a deterministic thermodynamic phase transition driven by informational density gradients. Building on Wheeler’s “it from bit” and Landauer’s principle, we treat the vacuum as a high‑density computational lattice. We introduce the Principle of Fundamental Binary Duality, asserting that every physical state is intrinsically coupled to a conjugate partner, and we derive a Critical Instantiation Threshold (HcritHcrit) — the exact environmental entropy required to break this coupling and force classical localization. Applying the threshold across the Standard Model reveals a mass‑decoherence scaling law: lighter particles resist instantiation far more strongly than heavy ones. For macroscopic objects, the ambient entropy of the cosmic background overwhelms the threshold by eighteen orders of magnitude, permanently enforcing classical determinism without observers or branching worlds. The framework provides a strictly mechanical, parameter‑free resolution of the measurement problem.

May 23, 20260 citations

An Information-Theoretic Model of Quantum Decoherence and Rest Mass Generation in Open Quantum System

Volodymyr Shkurat

This paper presents a rigorous information-theoretic framework for analyzing quantum decoherence and the mechanism of inertial rest mass generation within open quantum systems. We model spacetime as a primary non-local informational continuum of pure states, structurally regulated by an intrinsic Planck-scale decoherence mechanism operating as a stochastic microstate filter. The transition to a discrete macroscopic reality is formalized via a linear, regularized quantum master equation in the Lindblad form, which successfully eliminates unphysical divergences at the informational saturation limit. We demonstrate that the emergence of inertial rest mass and macroscopic classical inertia is a direct thermodynamic consequence of the cumulative quantized algorithmic information deficit ( $D_b$ ), acting as an information debt quantified in Shannon bits. In accordance with Landauer's principle, this debt enforces a specific thermodynamic heat penalty during state reconfiguration against the invariant Planck temperature of the vacuum substrate. Furthermore, the Cosmic Neutrino Background (CNB) is established as a fundamental physical substrate responsible for global phase synchronization and continuous local entropy calibration via the maximum Quantum Zeno Effect.This paper presents a rigorous information-theoretic framework for analyzing quantum decoherence and the mechanism of inertial rest mass generation within open quantum systems. We model spacetime as a primary non-local informational continuum of pure states, structurally regulated by an intrinsic Planck-scale decoherence mechanism operating as a stochastic microstate filter. The transition to a discrete macroscopic reality is formalized via a linear, regularized quantum master equation in the Lindblad form, which successfully eliminates unphysical divergences at the informational saturation limit. We demonstrate that the emergence of inertial rest mass and macroscopic classical inertia is a direct thermodynamic consequence of the cumulative quantized algorithmic information deficit ($D_b$), acting as an information debt quantified in Shannon bits. In accordance with Landauer's principle, this debt enforces a specific thermodynamic heat penalty during state reconfiguration against the invariant Planck temperature of the vacuum substrate. Furthermore, the Cosmic Neutrino Background (CNB) is established as a fundamental physical substrate responsible for global phase synchronization and continuous local entropy calibration via the maximum Quantum Zeno Effect.

Jun 16, 20260 citations

Entropic I-Field Theory: Fundamental Irreversibility in Field Dynamics

Lyoubi-Idrissi, Abderrahim

This paper introduces the Entropic I-Field Theory, a fundamental framework that establishes irreversibility as a physical principle rather than an emergent property. We propose a universal scalar field—the I-field—that couples dissipatively to all matter and radiation. By breaking time-reversal symmetry at the fundamental level through an extended Euler-Lagrange-Rayleigh variational principle, the theory preserves causality and conservation laws while introducing intrinsic directionality to physical evolution.The framework replaces purely unitary quantum evolution with non-conservative dynamics in which the I-field coupling introduces dissipative terms into the equations of motion. Through numerical validation across quantum, chaotic, and thermodynamic systems, we demonstrate that the theory provides unified solutions to foundational paradoxes: the quantum measurement problem is resolved through objective I-field-mediated collapse, thermodynamic irreversibility arises from fundamental symmetry breaking rather than statistical coarse-graining, and the arrow of time emerges from field dynamics rather than initial conditions. The theory makes testable predictions accessible with current technology: temperatureindependent decoherence at ultralow temperatures, universal noise floors violatingfluctuation-dissipation relations, modified atomic energy levels proportional to I-field strength, and measurable time variation of fundamental constants. These predictionsdistinguish the framework from standard physics and provide experimental pathways for falsification. If confirmed, this would establish irreversibility as a fundamental interaction encoded in the Lagrangian rather than an emergent statistical phenomenon.This paper introduces the Entropic I-Field Theory, a fundamental framework that establishes irreversibility as a physical principle rather than an emergent property. We propose a universal scalar field—the I-field—that couples dissipatively to all matter and radiation. By breaking time-reversal symmetry at the fundamental level through an extended Euler-Lagrange-Rayleigh variational principle, the theory preserves causality and conservation laws while introducing intrinsic directionality to physical evolution.The framework replaces purely unitary quantum evolution with non-conservative dynamics in which the I-field coupling introduces dissipative terms into the equations of motion. Through numerical validation across quantum, chaotic, and thermodynamic systems, we demonstrate that the theory provides unified solutions to foundational paradoxes: the quantum measurement problem is resolved through objective I-field-mediated collapse, thermodynamic irreversibility arises from fundamental symmetry breaking rather than statistical coarse-graining, and the arrow of time emerges from field dynamics rather than initial conditions. The theory makes testable predictions accessible with current technology: temperatureindependent decoherence at ultralow temperatures, universal noise floors violatingfluctuation-dissipation relations, modified atomic energy levels proportional to I-field strength, and measurable time variation of fundamental constants. These predictionsdistinguish the framework from standard physics and provide experimental pathways for falsification. If confirmed, this would establish irreversibility as a fundamental interaction encoded in the Lagrangian rather than an emergent statistical phenomenon.

Dec 4, 20250 citations

Θ((\log n)^{1/δ})

for

δ

-dimensional architectures and

Θ(\log\log n)

for all-to-all connectivity--readout capability decays exponentially with system size

n

, rendering the quantum information fundamentally inaccessible. Surprisingly, immediately above this threshold, the system enters a visible regime: we demonstrate that randomized measurements universally recover a constant fraction of the QFI using approximate unitary 3-designs, for which we explicitly develop optimal-depth circuit constructions tailored to finite-dimensional architectures. By unveiling the fundamental scaling laws and transitions that govern quantum observation, our results delineate definitive resource boundaries for quantum learning, state certification, and quantum metrology.

D_b

), acting as an information debt quantified in Shannon bits. In accordance with Landauer's principle, this debt enforces a specific thermodynamic heat penalty during state reconfiguration against the invariant Planck temperature of the vacuum substrate. Furthermore, the Cosmic Neutrino Background (CNB) is established as a fundamental physical substrate responsible for global phase synchronization and continuous local entropy calibration via the maximum Quantum Zeno Effect.