We propose an ontological reinterpretation of the quantum measurement problem using a process based framework. The photon is not treated as a particle or wave, but as a metastable process capable of transforming into multiple physical forms (thermal, electrical, chemical, or mechani- cal). The double slit experiment is reinterpreted as a spatially distributed process whose trans formation is either deferred to the detection screen or forced earlier by measurement near the slits. Interference arises not from wave behavior but from delayed transformation. Measurement corresponds to an ontological phase transition of the process, not to information acquisition or wavefunction collapse. It does not replace the standard quantum formalism, but offers an alternative ontological interpretation of it. Formally, this framework is expressed as a formal ontological schema articulated via primitive processual operators of differentiation, fixation, and dissipation (diff/fix/diss), rather than as a predictive mathematical formalism. This approach reframes the ontological basis of the measurement problem, eliminates observer-dependence, and aligns quantum phenomena with general principles of dissipative process ontology.
We propose an ontological reinterpretation of the quantum measurement problem using a process based framework. The photon is not treated as a particle or wave, but as a metastable process capable of transforming into multiple physical forms (thermal, electrical, chemical, or mechani- cal). The double slit experiment is reinterpreted as a spatially distributed process whose trans formation is either deferred to the detection screen or forced earlier by measurement near the slits. Interference arises not from wave behavior but from delayed transformation. Measurement corresponds to an ontological phase transition of the process, not to information acquisition or wavefunction collapse. It does not replace the standard quantum formalism, but offers an alternative ontological interpretation of it. Formally, this framework is expressed as a formal ontological schema articulated via primitive processual operators of differentiation, fixation, and dissipation (diff/fix/diss), rather than as a predictive mathematical formalism. This approach reframes the ontological basis of the measurement problem, eliminates observer-dependence, and aligns quantum phenomena with general principles of dissipative process ontology.
Quantum mechanics is among the most successful mathematical frameworks in modern science, providing precise predictions, experimental validation, and wide-ranging technological applications. This success, however, has been accompanied by a long-standing suspension of a fundamental question: the ontological status of quantum itself. While dominant approaches emphasize how quantum phenomena behave, the question of what these behaviors are the behavior of has largely been deferred. This work does not propose a new physical theory, nor does it challenge the empirical or mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics. Instead, it offers an ontological positioning that reintroduces the question of ground. Quantum is approached neither as a discrete object nor as a purely mathematical formalism, but as the joint mode of operation of energy, nature, and consciousness. Within this framework, consciousness is not treated as an external causal agent acting upon physical systems, but as an immanent, organizing, and meaning-generating aspect of energetic continuity. Differentiation is thus located not in nature itself, but at the level of meaning. Observation and measurement are reinterpreted accordingly, not as mechanisms of physical collapse, but as processes through which ontological distinctions become articulated. By reframing quantum as a ground rather than a thing, this study aims to clarify persistent conceptual tensions—such as the observer problem and the status of measurement—without invoking speculative physics or metaphysical dualism. The paper presents not a solution, but a repositioning: an invitation to reconsider the ontological assumptions that guide contemporary readings of quantum mechanics.
Short Abstract This paper reexamines the wave–particle duality of photons and the quantum measurement problem, not as deficiencies in physical laws or mathematical formalism, but as consequences of a conceptual conflation between two different hierarchical levels: existence and observation (record). In conventional quantum theory, wave-like phenomena such as interference and diffraction and discrete detection events have been interpreted within the same conceptual level, leading to the widespread notion that “a photon is both a wave and a particle.” However, this interpretation contains an intrinsic conceptual tension arising from projecting the form of observational results directly onto the mode of existence. In this study, observation is defined as a process in which a portion of an ongoing physical process becomes fixed as a discrete record through interaction with a measuring apparatus. By introducing a clear distinction between existence (continuous processes) and record (discrete outcomes), the photon’s wave nature is reinterpreted as its mode of propagation, while its particle-like character is understood as a property of the detection and recording process. Accordingly, wave–particle duality is not treated as a mysterious property of nature, but as a pseudo-problem produced by mixing descriptive levels. Likewise, wave function collapse and the idea that observation determines reality can be reinterpreted as updates of recorded information rather than physical changes in existence. This paper does not modify the mathematical structure of quantum mechanics; instead, it aims to improve interpretational clarity through conceptual reorganization and proposes a framework contributing to foundational discussions in quantum theory. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1530-4234 Matsuoka × GPT Thought-Experiment Lab Japanese Abstract 本論文は、フォトンの波動粒子二重性および量子測定問題を、物理法則や数理構造の不備としてではなく、存在と観測(記録)という異なる概念階層の混同から生じた問題として再定式化することを目的とする。従来の量子論では、干渉・回折といった波動的現象と、検出における離散的事象が同一階層で解釈されてきた結果、「フォトンは波でもあり粒子でもある」という二重性概念が定着した。しかしこの理解は、観測結果の形式を存在様式へ直接投影したことに起因する概念的緊張を含んでいる。 本論文では、観測を「物理過程の一部が測定装置によって離散的記録として固定化される過程」と定義し、「存在(連続的過程)」と「記録(離散的結果)」を明確に区別する枠組みを導入する。この枠組みに基づき、フォトンの波動性は伝播過程における存在様式、粒子性は検出・記録過程における表現形式として再定義される。したがって波動粒子二重性は自然界の不可解な性質ではなく、記述階層の混同から生じた擬似問題として理解される。 同様に、量子測定問題における波動関数収縮や「観測が実在を決定する」という描像も、存在変化ではなく記録更新として再解釈可能である。本論文は量子論の数理構造を変更するものではなく、概念的整理を通じて解釈上の透明性を高めることを目的とするものであり、量子論の基礎的議論における一つの枠組みを提示する。
This work develops a process–event ontological framework for quantum theory, with particular emphasis on information, collapse, and the energetic cost of realization. The central claim is that quantum mechanics formally describes physical processes—coherent, continuous, and reversible in principle—while information, records, and outcomes arise only at the level of events, through irreversible physical realization. Within this framework, collapse is redefined not as a dynamical anomaly, but as the physical realization of a process into an event. Information is not treated as a primary entity or carrier, but as a stabilized physical imprint of events, necessarily involving energy dissipation. The framework reinterprets Landauer’s principle as a cost of record stabilization rather than bit erasure, clarifies the ontological status of qubits as energetically maintained process states, and resolves standard measurement paradoxes without modifying the formalism of quantum mechanics. This work operates at a meta-level: it does not propose new dynamics or interpretations, but explicitly delineates the boundary between quantum processes and realized events.
This project presents a conceptual reinterpretation of wave–particle phenomena in quantum experiments by introducing a relational-temporal perspective on measurement and event formation. Rather than treating wave-like and particle-like behavior as competing ontological properties of quantum entities, the framework distinguishes between extended relational amplitude structures and localized measurement events. Interference phenomena are interpreted as manifestations of relational structures distributed across spacetime, while particle detections are understood as temporally stabilized events emerging through measurement interactions. By reviewing key experimental paradigms—including double-slit interference, which-path experiments, quantum erasers, weak measurements, and decoherence—the study demonstrates that many apparent paradoxes of quantum mechanics arise from classical assumptions about intrinsic properties and time as an external background parameter. Without modifying the formalism of quantum theory, the relational-temporal interpretation offers a physically conservative framework that reframes wave–particle duality as a distinction between structure and event rather than a dual ontology of physical objects.
The double‑slit experiment epitomizes the wave–particle duality of quantum mechanics. In standard treatments, the interference pattern follows from superposition, while measurement of “which path” destroys coherence. The precise mechanism that turns a coherent superposition into a localized detection event remains an open question. We propose an operator‑based model within the open‑quantum‑system framework that describes the entire process through seven effective Lindblad generators: fluctuating diffusion (initial wavepacket spreading), cyclic reset (quantum Zeno effect), spatial‑mode splitting (simultaneous excitation of both slits), free evolution (interference formation), liminal projection (threshold‑activated measurement), irreversible loss (detector inefficiency), and subspace mapping (projection onto a definite detection outcome). Unlike standard quantum mechanics, the model introduces a nonlinear decoherence rate that depends on the spatial spread of the wavefunction, capturing environment back‑action through a feedback‑controlled coupling. This dependence leads to a small but testable reduction of fringe visibility with increasing particle flux or wavepacket width, even in the absence of explicit which‑path measurement. The measurement activation is modeled as a smooth threshold function, giving a sharp transition in detection probability as the system reaches the screen. Analytical expressions for visibility and the critical Zeno frequency are derived, and numerical simulations are presented. The predictions are accessible with current experimental technology (weak measurements, controlled decoherence, cavity‑QED systems). The framework suggests that wave–particle duality can be understood as a dissipative phase transition, bridging foundational quantum theory with practical open‑system control.