This paper proposes a theoretical and experimental scheme for experimentallysimulating the phenomenon of ”temporal structure emergence” on near-term quantum processors (such as superconducting qubit arrays). By translating the theoretical framework of ”time emerging from quantum information” into executablequantum circuits and algorithms, this research designs a set of hybrid quantumclassical algorithms based on variational quantum simulation (VQS) to simulatethe dynamics of simplified spacetime tensor networks and extract order parameterscharacterizing the arrow of time and causal structure. The experimental objectivesinclude preparing initial entangled states with no preset time direction, realizing evolution akin to renormalization group flow through parameterized quantumcircuits, and measuring causal correlation functions to observe the emergence ofthe arrow of time as a spontaneous symmetry-breaking phenomenon. The articleelaborates on the physical implementation, algorithmic steps, error analysis, andexpected results, demonstrating the feasibility of a proof-of-principle verification onnoisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices, thereby providing an actionableexperimental entry point for testing quantum gravity and foundational theories ofspacetime
This paper proposes a theoretical and experimental scheme for experimentallysimulating the phenomenon of ”temporal structure emergence” on near-term quantum processors (such as superconducting qubit arrays). By translating the theoretical framework of ”time emerging from quantum information” into executablequantum circuits and algorithms, this research designs a set of hybrid quantumclassical algorithms based on variational quantum simulation (VQS) to simulatethe dynamics of simplified spacetime tensor networks and extract order parameterscharacterizing the arrow of time and causal structure. The experimental objectivesinclude preparing initial entangled states with no preset time direction, realizing evolution akin to renormalization group flow through parameterized quantumcircuits, and measuring causal correlation functions to observe the emergence ofthe arrow of time as a spontaneous symmetry-breaking phenomenon. The articleelaborates on the physical implementation, algorithmic steps, error analysis, andexpected results, demonstrating the feasibility of a proof-of-principle verification onnoisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices, thereby providing an actionableexperimental entry point for testing quantum gravity and foundational theories ofspacetime
This paper proposes a quantum renormalization group (RG)-based theoretical framework aimed at cooperatively emerging spatial geometry and temporal causal structurefrom a background-independent quantum gravity ground state. Traditional renormalization methods primarily focus on coarse-graining spatial degrees of freedom, while time istreated as an external parameter. This study introduces spatio-temporal joint renormalization transformations, unifying temporal evolution with spatial scaling behavior, andconstructs RG transformations based on the spatio-temporal tensor network category,where the transformations are implemented by a series of local quantum operations thatpreserve causal structure. The research proves that at specific fixed points of the RGflow, the system spontaneously emerges with a clear arrow of time, manifested as thebreaking of scale invariance of causal correlation functions. Through numerical simulations of a (1+1)-dimensional quantum lattice model, the cooperative scaling behavior ofspacetime structure is verified. This paper provides a concrete dynamical mechanism for“time emerging from quantum processes” and offers a new path for quantum gravity andholographic duality research.
Abstract We introduce a framework to study the emergence of time and causal structure in quantum many-body systems. In doing so, we consider quantum states which encode spacetime dynamics, and develop information theoretic tools to extract the causal relationships between putative spacetime subsystems. Our analysis reveals a quantum generalization of the thermodynamic arrow of time and begins to explore the roles of entanglement, scrambling and quantum error correction in the emergence of spacetime. For instance, exotic causal relationships can arise due to dynamically induced quantum error correction in spacetime: there can exist a spatial region in the past which does not causally influence any small spatial regions in the future, but yet it causally influences the union of several small spatial regions in the future. We provide examples of quantum causal influence in Hamiltonian evolution, quantum error correction codes, quantum teleportation, holographic tensor networks, the final state projection model of black holes, and many other systems. We find that the quantum causal influence provides a unifying perspective on spacetime correlations in these seemingly distinct settings. In addition, we prove a variety of general structural results and discuss the relation of quantum causal influence to spacetime quantum entropies.
The problem of the origin of time, i.e., ”how time emerges from the foundationof quantum gravity,” is a central challenge in modern physics. This paper proposesa background-independent and computable emergence mechanism: time is not ana priori coordinate but rather a chain of partially ordered slices spontaneouslyorganized by quantum geometric states under the action of discrete renormalizationgroup flow. We construct a joint categorical framework that unifies the entanglement renormalization of spin networks and the geometric evolution of discrete Ricciflowas afunctorial evolution sequence. It is theoretically proven that when the jointevolution follows macroscopic monotonicity of entanglement entropy, this sequencenaturally generates a causal chain with a natural partial order. The macroscopic”time measure” is given by a topological invariant—the H0 barcode length in persistent homology—and its ”arrow of time” is locked by the irreversible growth ofentanglement entropy, without requiring additional thermodynamic or boundarycondition assumptions. We conduct large-scale numerical experiments on a 323periodic lattice, verifying the core theoretical prediction: the barcode lifetime Land the system’s low-energy spectral gap ∆ exhibit a universal inverse relationship, satisfying ∆ · L = 0.144(5), with a coefficient of determination R2 = 0.999.This mechanism directly leads to two observable cosmological predictions: 1) A”barcode modulation” in the low-ℓ power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation, with characteristic scale ∆ℓ ≈ 3 and amplitude A ≈ 0.05; 2) Aprimordial stochastic gravitational wave background with peak frequency in the10−9–10−8 Hz range. These predictions can be tested by next-generation observational experiments such as CMB-S4 and SKA-PTA, thereby transforming the”origin of time” from a philosophical speculation into a computable, simulatable,and falsifiable physical problem.
The series Time as Phase Flow (Papers I–IV) established that time is not fundamental but emerges from the geometric phase flow of quantum information, providing a unified account of dynamically generated cosmological constants, informational temporal viscosity, and the suppression of large-scale structure. Despite these successes, a fundamental mechanism explaining why a single, stable observable reality emerges from the space of quantum informational states has remained unresolved. In this work, we introduce the framework of Information-Geometric Spacetime (IGS), in which spacetime itself emerges from the geometry of quantum information, entanglement, and modular flow. Within IGS, we define an Actualization Operator that mediates between quantum informational states and observable spacetime geometry. Derived from first principles, the operator combines entropy-based suppression with modular evolution, governed by a universal geometric constant β = 1/(π√3) ≈ 0.1837 fixed by the geometry of causal diamonds and the associated modular Hamiltonian. We show that actualization preserves information conservation and quantum unitarity, acting as a structural filter that selectively stabilizes informational states capable of forming consistent geometric reality, in close analogy with decoherence-driven classical emergence. Under this mechanism, previously identified cosmological effects—most notably the suppression of the matter power spectrum and the S_8 tension—are reinterpreted as observational consequences of information actualization rather than modifications of gravity or exotic matter. This framework also offers a geometric reformulation of the quantum measurement problem, in which the observer is not an external agent but an emergent process associated with modular structure and entanglement thermodynamics. The theory yields testable predictions in controlled quantum systems and forthcoming cosmological surveys, providing a concrete pathway toward empirical tests of spacetime emergence from quantum information.
A central question in the quantum-gravitational description of our universe is how the arrow of time emerges from a fundamentally timeless theory. Reference [1] proposed that an intrinsic, self-referential mechanism—encoded in a nonlocal operator acting on a holographic tensor network—breaks the global Wheeler-DeWitt constraint and drives the monotonic growth of entanglement entropy, thereby giving rise to an internal time. The present work provides the first exactly solvable and numerically testable microscopic realization of this mechanism within the open Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model. By interpreting Lindblad jump operators as directed information extractions from network degrees of freedom, we prove, via large- Schwinger-Keldysh field theory and finite- exact diagonalization (up to ), that the entanglement entropy of the observed subsystem increases monotonically and irreversibly, that the level-spacing distribution transitions from Poisson to Wigner-Dyson universality, and that the dissipative form factor displays a sharp, first-order dynamical phase transition. A control experiment employing structureless, nonlocal Lindblad jumps fails to produce these signatures simultaneously, confirming that they are specific consequences of the self-referential mapping rather than generic features of open quantum systems. We further propose a holographic dictionary in which the dissipative coupling is dual to the boundary cosmological constant in Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity, offering a concrete, testable bridge between the self-referential operation and the geometry of emergent spacetime. These findings establish a compact, computable, and—crucially—experimentally accessible microscopic foundation for the hypothesis that time is born from quantum information processing, and they provide a theoretical blueprint for observing the emergence of an arrow of time on near-term quantum simulators.
A central question in the quantum-gravitational description of our universe is how the arrow of time emerges from a fundamentally timeless theory. Reference proposed that an intrinsic, self-referential mechanism—encoded in a nonlocal operator acting on a holographic tensor network—breaks the global Wheeler-DeWitt constraint and drives the monotonic growth of entanglement entropy, thereby giving rise to an internal time. The present work provides the first exactly solvable and numerically testable microscopic realization of this mechanism within the open Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model. By interpreting Lindblad jump operators as directed information extractions from network degrees of freedom, we prove, via large- Schwinger-Keldysh field theory and finite- exact diagonalization (up to ), that the entanglement entropy of the observed subsystem increases monotonically and irreversibly, that the level-spacing distribution transitions from Poisson to Wigner-Dyson universality, and that the dissipative form factor displays a sharp, first-order dynamical phase transition. A control experiment employing structureless, nonlocal Lindblad jumps fails to produce these signatures simultaneously, confirming that they are specific consequences of the self-referential mapping rather than generic features of open quantum systems. We further propose a holographic dictionary in which the dissipative coupling is dual to the boundary cosmological constant in Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity, offering a concrete, testable bridge between the self-referential operation and the geometry of emergent spacetime. These findings establish a compact, computable, and—crucially—experimentally accessible microscopic foundation for the hypothesis that time is born from quantum information processing, and they provide a theoretical blueprint for observing the emergence of an arrow of time on near-term quantum simulators .