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。
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 paper proposes a conceptual reinterpretation of the wave–particle duality by introducing a relational and temporally emergent perspective on measurement and physical properties. Instead of treating waves and particles as competing ontological categories, the study argues that they represent different relational realizations of the same underlying process. Wave descriptions capture relational structures extending across time and space, while particle descriptions correspond to localized events generated through temporally fixing measurement interactions. By reframing measurement as a form of temporal coordination rather than passive observation, the article suggests that the apparent paradox of wave–particle duality emerges from classical assumptions about objects and time. The proposed framework situates quantum phenomena within a broader relational ontology in which time, events, and structures arise through interaction. This perspective aims to clarify conceptual foundations of quantum theory without modifying its formalism, while also highlighting parallels between coordination processes in physical, biological, and social systems.
This preprint presents a field-first interpretation of wave-particle duality grounded in the ontology of Quantum Field Theory (QFT). The framework treats quantum fields as the fundamental ontology of physical reality, while particles are understood as excitation states of their respective fields. Wave-like phenomena, including interference, diffraction, tunneling, and coherence effects, are interpreted as arising from the propagation and interaction dynamics of these excitations rather than from an independent wave ontology. The central thesis is that wave-particle duality does not represent two distinct physical realities, but rather different observational regimes of a single field-based process. Localized interactions appear particle-like, while propagation and interference phenomena appear wave-like. This interpretation is fully consistent with the existing mathematical formalism of Quantum Field Theory and does not introduce new physical laws or modifications to established quantum mechanics. The purpose of this work is interpretive and conceptual. It aims to provide a clearer ontological framework for understanding the relationship between quantum fields, particles, and wave-like behavior while reducing the conceptual ambiguity traditionally associated with wave-particle duality. This document represents the initial preprint release of the field-first interpretation framework.
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.
This paper presents a conceptually economical reinterpretation of wave–particle duality, framing it as a consequence of dimensional projection rather than as a fundamental ontological dualism or an observer-induced collapse. Quantum systems are treated as evolving continuously within a space of effective informational degrees of freedom, while particle-like behavior emerges from restricted lower-dimensional access and irreversible recording. By reclassifying classic experiments—such as double-slit interference, delayed-choice setups, quantum erasers, and automated detection—under this framework, the work highlights that their empirically observed continuous behaviors are more naturally explained by projection and information restriction than by abrupt state reduction. Beyond reinterpretation, the paper introduces a falsifiable experimental criterion—the Dimensional Projection Test (DPT)—which distinguishes projection-based, no-collapse descriptions from genuine collapse models. The DPT predicts a smooth degradation of interference visibility under continuously tuned coupling, whereas any sharp transition would signal objective collapse dynamics. Positioned as complementary to existing collapse-model bounds rather than a competing formalism, the DPT provides an operational lens through which foundational ambiguities can be tested experimentally. Overall, the work clarifies long-standing conceptual confusion without modifying quantum mechanics, offering a disciplined, test-oriented contribution to quantum foundations. Reality does not change when we stop observing; only our access does.
Diffraction and interference fringes are stable and reproducible objective phenomena in optical experiments. Mainstream quantum mechanics puts forward the ontological interpretation of wave particle duality. It holds that the material ontology of micro particles such as photons inherently possesses both particle and wave properties, and attributes diffraction and interference phenomena directly to the intrinsic matter wave behavior of particles. This interpretation stays at the level of observational appearance and avoids underlying ontological dynamic mechanisms. It represents a research approach that deduces the intrinsic properties of material ontology merely from external observations. Within the framework of the light ontology theory, a photon is an energy state object. Energy and motion at the speed of light form an inseparable whole and are permanently bound together and cannot be separated. In the real universe, no photon with energy that does not travel at the speed of light has ever been observed. Nor has any object moving at the speed of light without energy been detected. The two cannot exist independently from one another. A photon has no physical volume but possesses inherent fixed transverse trembling property. At the moment a photon is generated, it acquires a definite trembling angle within a 360 degree spatial plane perpendicular to its propagation direction. This transverse trembling orientation remains unchanged without physical collision interaction. When the transverse trembling of a photon can reach the slit wall, absorption and reradiation secondary scattering will occur. Massive secondary photons superpose statistically to form bright and dark diffraction and interference fringes. Slit walls are stacked by large numbers of atoms. Their spatial scale is hundreds of thousands to tens of millions times larger than the scale of photon transverse trembling. For photons, slit walls constitute huge physical barriers and can produce significant interactions with trembling photons. The wave function is only a mathematical tool for fitting experimental data. Good fitting performance of a mathematical model does not mean its corresponding physical interpretation equals objective physical reality. This paper proposes a new set of comparative decisionmaking experiments. The key innovation is to place a linear polarizer in front of the slit. Before photons contact the slit, the transverse trembling orientation of photons is pre screened. The transverse trembling direction of transmitted photons is made parallel to the orientation of vertical slit walls to suppress oscillation components perpendicular to slit walls and make it difficult for photons to hit slit walls. Polarizers with different grating line widths can be replaced to observe the influence of the grating scale of polarizers on experimental results. According to the physical mechanism of slit wall scattering, characteristic diffraction and interference fringes will be greatly attenuated and only the central direct light spot will remain. Non ideal device characteristics will bring a small amount of stray scattering background, but complete bright and dark diffraction and interference structures will not appear. According to the traditional ontological interpretation of wave particle duality, the geometric parameters of slits remain completely unchanged. Only polarization orientation screening is conducted and the intrinsic matter wave of particle ontology is not affected. Therefore diffraction and interference fringes should be fully preserved. The two theories produce mutually exclusive observable predictions. This experiment can test whether the ontological interpretation of wave particle duality holds true. This paper does not deny objective diffraction and interference phenomena, nor does it deny the practical value of wave function as an engineering calculation tool.
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.