AbstractWithin the framework of the Unified Wave Cosmological Model (UWCM), spacetime (theStratum) is a discrete quantized network, and its active boundary (the SGW) is the carrier ofinformation and the source of energy. In previous works (Slavutsky, 2026e, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19516683; Slavutsky, 2026f, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19518042), it was shown that the massof black holes is quantized: M = N · mP, and the energy transfer between the SGW and theStratum occurs in portions that are multiples of the Planck energy EP.In the present work, these results are extended to time. It is shown that the quantization ofenergy transfer and the discreteness of the Stratum entail the quantization of time: any changesin the system occur in discrete “ticks” with a minimal interval tP = ℏG/c5 ≈ 5.4 × 10−44s. This means that all physical processes, including the evolution of quantum states, occur insteps rather than continuously.On this basis, a new explanation is proposed for key quantum paradoxes:• Wave function collapse is not an instantaneous process but a sequence of Planck “ticks”during which the system transitions from a superposition to a definite state.• Entanglement is a synchronization of Stratum nodes occurring in its proper time; to anexternal observer, the effect appears instantaneous but actually has a minimal delay tP.• Schr¨odinger’s cat — the transition from superposition to a definite state takes a finitenumber of “ticks,” during which the system is in a transitional state.• The observer problem — “measurement” is recognized as a process in which the numberof coordinated “ticks” between the observer-node and the object-node exceeds a thresholdM, providing an objective criterion without invoking consciousness.The work demonstrates that time quantization not only does not contradict quantum mechanics but also resolves its fundamental paradoxes, offering a physically grounded alternativeto “instantaneous” and “nonlocal” interpretations.
AbstractWithin the framework of the Unified Wave Cosmological Model (UWCM), spacetime (theStratum) is a discrete quantized network, and its active boundary (the SGW) is the carrier ofinformation and the source of energy. In previous works (Slavutsky, 2026e, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19516683; Slavutsky, 2026f, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19518042), it was shown that the massof black holes is quantized: M = N · mP, and the energy transfer between the SGW and theStratum occurs in portions that are multiples of the Planck energy EP.In the present work, these results are extended to time. It is shown that the quantization ofenergy transfer and the discreteness of the Stratum entail the quantization of time: any changesin the system occur in discrete “ticks” with a minimal interval tP = ℏG/c5 ≈ 5.4 × 10−44s. This means that all physical processes, including the evolution of quantum states, occur insteps rather than continuously.On this basis, a new explanation is proposed for key quantum paradoxes:• Wave function collapse is not an instantaneous process but a sequence of Planck “ticks”during which the system transitions from a superposition to a definite state.• Entanglement is a synchronization of Stratum nodes occurring in its proper time; to anexternal observer, the effect appears instantaneous but actually has a minimal delay tP.• Schr¨odinger’s cat — the transition from superposition to a definite state takes a finitenumber of “ticks,” during which the system is in a transitional state.• The observer problem — “measurement” is recognized as a process in which the numberof coordinated “ticks” between the observer-node and the object-node exceeds a thresholdM, providing an objective criterion without invoking consciousness.The work demonstrates that time quantization not only does not contradict quantum mechanics but also resolves its fundamental paradoxes, offering a physically grounded alternativeto “instantaneous” and “nonlocal” interpretations.
The conceptual difficulties of Quantum Mechanics—manifesting as paradoxes of locality, causality, and realism—arise from the fundamental assumption that spacetime is a contin- uous, metric geometry. We propose an alternative framework: The Quantum Loom, which models the vacuum as a discrete, incompressible superfluid network of Planck-scale nodes. By integrating the ER=EPR conjecture with Superfluid Vacuum Theory, we demonstrate that ”Metric Locality” is an emergent approximation, while fundamental reality is governed by ”Topological Connectivity.” In this paper, we apply this framework to resolve eight major foundational paradoxes. We show that ”Temporal Paradoxes” (Wheeler’s Delayed Choice, Quantum Eraser) are re- solved by viewing entanglement as global tension on a closed topological circuit. ”Interaction Paradoxes” (Hardy, Elitzur-Vaidman, Klein) are explained by the non-local interaction of strain fields and dielectric breakdown of the vacuum lattice. Finally, ”Observer Paradoxes” (Wigner’s Friend, Quantum Zeno, and Schr¨odinger’s Cat) are demystified as phase transi- tions: macroscopic superposition is strictly limited by the Topological Jamming density of the network, forcing massive systems to ”flash freeze” into definite states. This model recov- ers objective realism without abandoning non-locality, suggesting that the ”spooky” features of quantum mechanics are simply the hydrodynamics of a pre-stressed vacuum web.
“For me then this is the real problem with quantum theory: the apparently essential conflict between any sharp formulation and fundamental relativity. That is to say, we have an apparent incompatibility, at the deepest level, between the two fundamental pillars of contemporary theory...” J. S. Bell (2004, p. 171) The inability to delineate a unified physical ontology that accounts simultaneously for the laws of special relativity and the results of quantum experiments has been a defining problem in physics for more than 100 years. Although various primitive ontologies (including Bohmian pilot wave, spontaneous collapse, and objective collapse theories) along with wave function realism ontologies, many-worlds interpretations, and multi-field theories address the tension between special relativity and quantum mechanics, none has successfully resolved it. This analysis addresses the problem by positing an ontic, mixed ontology composed of a “discrete” 4D spacetime and a physical, ultra-high dimensional (3 x N) “Planck Space.” Together, Planck Space and the three spatial dimensions of 4D spacetime form a tightly integrated ((3 x N) + 3) hyperspace (the “Dual Ontology”). 4D spacetime’s three spatial dimensions and the N dimensions of Planck Space are composed of two substructures: discrete, three-dimensional, quantized units of space ("Planck Spheres") and an ontic State of Absolute Nothingness (the "SOAN") whose sole physical characteristic is onticness. Critically, the Dual Ontology’s structure replaces 1) the continuous, differentiable manifold of 4D spacetime with a discrete 4D spacetime and 2) mathematical 3N configuration spaces with a physical (3 x N) Planck Space. Moreover, structurally and dynamically, the Dual Ontology is predicated on the one-to-one mapping and identity between the Planck Spheres that simultaneously form 4D spacetime and Planck Space. The one-to-one mapping and identity physically and theoretically support an integrated quantum dynamics based upon the dynamic evolution of single and N-body quantum states in 4D spacetime in full compliance with the laws of special relativity and the instantaneous collapse of all quantum states in an ontic Planck Space, where special and general relativity and more generally, 4D spacetime’s laws of physics, do not apply. Keywords: Quantum Cosmology; Special Relativity; Quantum Mechanics, Wave Function Collapse; Mixed Ontology; Dual Ontology; (3 x N) Planck Space; Planck Identity; Bell Identity
“For me then this is the real problem with quantum theory: the apparently essential conflict between any sharp formulation and fundamental relativity. That is to say, we have an apparent incompatibility, at the deepest level, between the two fundamental pillars of contemporary theory...” J. S. Bell (2004, p. 171) The inability to delineate a unified physical ontology that accounts simultaneously for the laws of special relativity and the results of quantum experiments has been a defining problem in physics for more than 100 years. Although various primitive ontologies (including Bohmian pilot wave, spontaneous collapse, and objective collapse theories) along with wave function realism ontologies, many-worlds interpretations, and multi-field theories address the tension between special relativity and quantum mechanics, none has successfully resolved it. This analysis addresses the problem by positing an ontic, mixed ontology composed of a “discrete” 4D spacetime and a physical, ultra-high dimensional (3 x N) “Planck Space.” Together, Planck Space and the three spatial dimensions of 4D spacetime form a tightly integrated ((3 x N) + 3) hyperspace (the “Dual Ontology”). 4D spacetime’s three spatial dimensions and the N dimensions of Planck Space are composed of two substructures: discrete, three-dimensional, quantized units of space ("Planck Spheres") and an ontic State of Absolute Nothingness (the "SOAN") whose sole physical characteristic is onticness. Critically, the Dual Ontology’s structure replaces 1) the continuous, differentiable manifold of 4D spacetime with a discrete 4D spacetime and 2) mathematical 3N configuration spaces with a physical (3 x N) Planck Space. Moreover, structurally and dynamically, the Dual Ontology is predicated on the one-to-one mapping and identity between the Planck Spheres that simultaneously form 4D spacetime and Planck Space. The one-to-one mapping and identity physically and theoretically support an integrated quantum dynamics based upon the dynamic evolution of single and N-body quantum states in 4D spacetime in full compliance with the laws of special relativity and the instantaneous collapse of all quantum states in an ontic Planck Space, where special and general relativity and more generally, 4D spacetime’s laws of physics, do not apply.
The phenomenon of quantum entanglement (EPR paradox) has remained one of the most debated issues in fundamental physics for a century. This paper proposes a physical resolution to this problem without invoking concepts of long-range action or speculative spatial geometries. Based on the informational-cosmological model of the Universe developed by the author (fixed in the preprint DOI:10.5281/zenodo.22012521), the mechanism of instantaneous response of entangled particles is considered as a natural consequence of the scalability of the quantized vacuum structure. This theoretical model logically follows from the analysis of phase synchronization of pendulum systems on a common rigid foundation, transferred to the Planck metric of the cosmic medium.
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.
We present a quantum framework grounded in micro-causality and spacetime quantization, where spacetime is composed of discrete, causally ordered units rather than a continuous manifold. This intrinsic structure naturally generates fundamental quantum features—wave–particle duality, energy quantization, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle—without invoking canonical quantization, matter-wave postulates, or harmonic-oscillator models. Consequently, this paradigm eliminates the long-standing paradoxes of wavefunction collapse, self-interference, and non-local spooky correlations in entanglement.Within this causal lattice spacetime, quantum commutation relations emerge from finite shift operators, and the uncertainty principle arises geometrically from non-commutativity at the fundamental level. Unlike standard quantum field theory (QFT), which predicts infinite vacuum energy and requires renormalization, the present framework removes zero-point energy, ultraviolet divergences, and fine-tuning. Moreover, U(1) symmetry is broken geometrically on the lattice, leading to mass generation without a Higgs mechanism.The Casimir effect is reinterpreted as a temperature-dependent imbalance in thermal radiation pressure rather than the consequence of vacuum fluctuations, predicting that the Casimir force should vary with ambient temperature. Experimental confirmation of such dependence would directly support the lattice interpretation and challenge the QFT view of vacuum energy.By unifying key quantum behaviors through discrete causal geometry, this model offers a divergence-free and physically grounded alternative to continuum-based QFT. It opens new avenues for quantum unification, cosmology, and the understanding of fundamental constants, without speculative constructs, singularities, or infinities.