We propose a unified framework in which quantum measurement, the arrow of time, and effective gravitational phenomena emerge from a single ontological primitive: irreversible interaction events. An event is represented operationally by a non-invertible completely positive, trace-preserving (CPTP) map, while unitary evolution and spacetime geometry are treated as effective, emergent descriptions. Time arises as a partial order induced by irreversible state-restricting events, and gravitational time dilation emerges from spatial variations in event density. An Event Equivalence Principle is introduced, according to which gravitational effects manifest universally as a rescaling of event occurrence rates, independent of particle mass. The framework yields falsifiable predictions for gravity-induced decoherence and is shown to be consistent with existing experimental bounds.
We propose a unified framework in which quantum measurement, the arrow of time, and effective gravitational phenomena emerge from a single ontological primitive: irreversible interaction events. An event is represented operationally by a non-invertible completely positive, trace-preserving (CPTP) map, while unitary evolution and spacetime geometry are treated as effective, emergent descriptions. Time arises as a partial order induced by irreversible state-restricting events, and gravitational time dilation emerges from spatial variations in event density. An Event Equivalence Principle is introduced, according to which gravitational effects manifest universally as a rescaling of event occurrence rates, independent of particle mass. The framework yields falsifiable predictions for gravity-induced decoherence and is shown to be consistent with existing experimental bounds.
We develop an event-based extension of quantum theory in which irreversible interaction events are taken as physically primary, and apply this framework to the emergence of time and effective gravitational behavior. An event is defined as a non-invertible completely positive, trace-preserving (CPTP) map acting on quantum states. Unitary dynamics are treated as an effective interpolation between events rather than as fundamental evolution. Time is defined as a partial ordering induced by irreversible events, while continuous time arises as a coarse-grained limit at high event density. We introduce event density as an operational quantity governing both decoherence and temporal accumulation, and show that spatial gradients of event density naturally give rise to effective gravitational time-dilation phenomena. No new force laws, spacetime curvature, or quantum gravity dynamics are postulated. Instead, gravity and time are shown to emerge as scale-dependent descriptions arising from irreversible event structure. The formulation is compatible with standard quantum mechanics, open-system dynamics, and general relativity in their respective domains, while clarifying the physical role of irreversibility in linking quantum theory and spacetime descriptions.
The quantum measurement problem arises from a structural asymmetry in standard formulations of quantum mechanics: while unitary evolution is treated as fundamental, irreversible events are introduced only through ad hoc postulates. As a result, measurement, decoherence, and probability appear conceptually disconnected. In this work, we propose a minimal reformulation in which irreversible interaction events are taken as ontological primitives. An event is defined as a completely positive, trace-preserving map that is not equivalent to any unitary transformation. Unitary evolution emerges as an effective description valid between events. Within this framework, quantum measurement is not a special process but a particular class of irreversible events with outcome-resolving structure. The Born rule arises naturally from the statistical structure of event realizations, and environmental decoherence is reinterpreted as a high density of irreversible events. No collapse postulate, observer-dependent rule, or modification of quantum dynamics is required. This formulation provides a unified and physically grounded resolution of the measurement problem and establishes a conceptual foundation for event-based extensions connecting quantum theory with spacetime and gravity.
We propose a minimal discrete model in which causality, time, spacetime geometry, and quantum measurement emerge from a single primitive concept: the node (boundary). A node is defined as an irreversible completely positive (CP) map representing interaction simultaneity—the fundamental unit where states undergo non-unitary transformation. Conventional causality is reconceptualized as a chain of such nodes connected by reversible propagation. Time is not an external parameter but the cumulative count of nodes; temporal flow velocity is proportional to node density. We demonstrate that Minkowski spacetime emerges as the continuum limit of a node network, with gravitational curvature arising from spatial gradients in node density. The quantum measurement problem dissolves naturally as nodes represent the only loci of irreversibility. We derive testable predictions for gravity-induced decoherence independent of gravitational phase shifts, offering clear falsifiability. This framework unifies gravity, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and temporal phenomenology through a single ontological primitive: the event itself.
Contact Jonathan.duchesne@hotmail.com 418-953-0596 This thesis presents Time–Decoherence Gravity (TDG), a unified theoretical framework in which spacetime geometry, gravitation, and the physical flow of time arise from fundamental quantum decoherence. Rather than treating decoherence as an environmental or effective process, TDG builds on a covariant extension of the Gorini–Kossakowski–Sudarshan–Lindblad (GKSL) equation, where four directional Lindblad operators encode intrinsic, irreversible information loss. These operators define a “decoherence tensor,” which acts both as a memory of quantum irreversibility and as the generator of emergent spacetime geometry through a nonlinear constitutive relation. The theory provides a coherent gravitational collapse mechanism based on the incompatibility of decoherence patterns across quantum branches. This leads to an intrinsic “decoherence energy,” whose magnitude determines the collapse timescale, extending and generalizing the well-known Penrose–Diósi models. TDG predicts a smooth transition from persistent microscopic coherence to rapid macroscopic collapse. At cosmological scales, a homogeneous decoherence tensor naturally generates modified Friedmann dynamics, early-universe stiff-fluid behavior, and late-time acceleration without requiring a fine-tuned cosmological constant. Black-hole entropy emerges as a saturation of decoherence memory at the horizon, while Hawking radiation appears as the dissipative relaxation of this saturation. The theory also predicts short-range deviations from Newtonian gravity and a universal spectrum of fundamental gravitational noise. Finally, TDG offers several experimentally testable signatures involving optical clocks, mesoscopic interferometry, short-range force measurements, and correlated phase noise in global timing networks. The framework is internally consistent, falsifiable, and provides a novel and unified approach to the relationship between quantum mechanics, gravity, and the arrow of time.
We present a unified and minimal theoretical framework addressing the quantum-classical transition, the measurement problem, and the emergence of the arrow of time, grounded in gravitational physics. Building on the insight that quantum superpositions of mass distributions necessarily imply superpositions of gravitational potentials, we show that such states are unavoidably associated with superpositions of proper times due to gravitational time dilation. By extending the system Hilbert space to include a temporal degree of freedom, we demonstrate that matter-time entanglement leads naturally to effective decoherence when the time degree of freedom is traced out. The resulting reduced dynamics takes the form of a Lindblad master equation derived from an underlying unitary evolution. This framework reproduces the correct microscopic and macroscopic limits, clarifies the relation to Diósi-Penrose-type models, and provides a coherent account of classicality and temporal irreversibility without postulating observers, environmental decoherence as fundamental, or objective wavefunction collapse.
Abstract The ontological status of time remains unresolved in fundamental physics. In quantum mechanics, time appears as an external classical parameter, whereas in general relativity it is dynamical and intertwined with spacetime geometry. Canonical approaches to quantum gravity, most notably the Wheeler–DeWitt formulation, eliminate time altogether, leading to the well-known “problem of time.” These tensions motivate frameworks in which time is not fundamental but emergent. In this work, we propose a discrete, update-based framework in which the universe evolves through a sequence of global quantum states indexed by an abstract update parameter rather than by a physical time coordinate. Evolution is formulated as a completely positive, trace-preserving (CPTP) quantum channel acting on the universal density operator, ensuring exact conservation of probability and global quantum information at every update. The framework is deliberately conservative: it preserves the formal structure of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, enforces vacuum stability, and supports global conservation laws without introducing new dynamical postulates. Within this setting, time emerges relationally at the level of subsystems. As subsystems become increasingly entangled with their environments, entropy gradients arise that define an effective arrow of time, closely aligned with the thermodynamic arrow. The resulting temporal flow is relative, statistical, and observer-dependent, while the global evolution remains information-preserving and, in the closed-system limit, reversible. We explore the implications of this framework for cosmology and black hole physics. The Big Bang is reinterpreted as an initial quantum state rather than a singular beginning of time, avoiding temporal singularities. Black hole evaporation is shown to be compatible with unitary evolution when the full quantum state is considered, naturally reproducing the expected Page curve and resolving the apparent information paradox. Overall, the framework provides a coherent, minimal setting in which time, irreversibility, and cosmological history emerge from quantum correlations rather than from a fundamental temporal background.