Essay written for the Gravity Research Foundation 2026 Awards for Essays on Gravitation. This essay was submitted on March 21, 2026. Can we isolate a moment during collapse that cannot be assigned to any yet known phenomenon? In this essay we aim for a measurable energy spread dependent collapse time 𝑇∗. If present, we suspect real wave dynamics behind the scene. In the light of this essay we suggest ontic subwaves and emergent wavefunctions. Each subwave has an amplitude, contributing to the energy distribution of the subwave ensemble. Via Mandelstam-Tamm, von Neumann, Schrödinger and Kuramoto-Sakaguchi, we end up with a locked synchronization regime between system and detector subwaves: local rephasing into a localized emergent wave on the detector. A proven absence of such a Δ𝐸 dependent collapse time would falsify this real wave dynamics picture and would be of equally great value.
Essay written for the Gravity Research Foundation 2026 Awards for Essays on Gravitation. This essay was submitted on March 21, 2026. Can we isolate a moment during collapse that cannot be assigned to any yet known phenomenon? In this essay we aim for a measurable energy spread dependent collapse time 𝑇∗. If present, we suspect real wave dynamics behind the scene. In the light of this essay we suggest ontic subwaves and emergent wavefunctions. Each subwave has an amplitude, contributing to the energy distribution of the subwave ensemble. Via Mandelstam-Tamm, von Neumann, Schrödinger and Kuramoto-Sakaguchi, we end up with a locked synchronization regime between system and detector subwaves: local rephasing into a localized emergent wave on the detector. A proven absence of such a Δ𝐸 dependent collapse time would falsify this real wave dynamics picture and would be of equally great value.
Does wave function collapse of a system contain an energy spread dependent timescale that follows, at least for this case study, the same wave-mechanical principles as that same system before collapse? If this were the case, it could suggest that collapse is a physical process that may not need to be treated as a separate postulate. We present a framework that uses subwaves to model this internal wave process. Each subwave has an amplitude and contributes to the energy distribution of the subwave ensemble. Using the Mandelstam–Tamm relation, von Neumann coupling, Schrödinger evolution, and Kuramoto–Sakaguchi synchronization, the framework leads to a locked synchronization regime between system and detector subwaves: local rephasing into a localized emergent wave on the detector. We propose spontaneousradiation experiments to search for an energy-spread-dependent characteristic spectral shape, which could indirectly reveal an energy-spread-dependent collapse time 𝑇*. Such a result could also reveal new relationships between collapse dynamics and the energetic structure of matter.
What if wavefunction collapse is not a postulate, but a physical process with a measurable timescale? This work proposes a minimal, physically motivated model in which quantum collapse emerges from effective damping (viscosity-like) dynamics acting on an extended wave field. The framework reproduces wave-particle duality, predicts collapse times dependent on energy, and naturally explains interference as a statistical accumulation of localized events. Striking morphological similarities between simulated collapse patterns, macroscopic phenomena (rain, melting snow), and atomic-scale measurements suggest a scale-independent mechanism underlying localization. The model yields explicit numerical estimates for collapse times across energy scales, from eV to MeV, placing the collapse process within experimentally relevant regimes. If correct, this approach reframes collapse not as an abstract measurement axiom, but as an emergent dynamical phenomenon. Przemysław Krawiec, Ewa Bączkiewicz Poland, Tłokinia Kościelna, 27.12.2025 krawiec.841@gmail.com
Inspired by an ontic view of the wavefunction in quantum mechanics and motivated by the universal interaction of gravity, we discuss a possible gravity implication in the state collapse mechanism. Concretely, we investigate the stability of the spatial superposition of a massive quantum state under the gravity effect. In this context, we argue that the stability of the spatially superposed state depends on its gravitational self-energy originating from the effective mass density distribution through the spatially localized eigenstates. We reveal that the gravitational self-interaction between the different spacetime curvatures created by the eigenstate effective masses leads to the reduction of the superposed state to one of the possible localized states. Among others, we discuss such a gravity-driven state reduction. Then, we approach the corresponding collapse time and the induced effective electric current in the case of a charged state, as well as the possible detection aspects.
Abstract Inspired by an ontic view of the wave function in quantum mechanics and motivated by the universal interaction of gravity, we discuss a possible gravity implication in the state collapse mechanism. Concretely, we investigate the stability of the spatial superposition of a massive quantum state under the gravity effect. In this context, we argue that the stability of the spatially superposed state , depends on its gravitational self-energy originating from the effective mass density distribution through the spatially localized eigenstates . We reveal that the gravitational self-interaction between the different spacetime curvatures created by the eigenstate effective masses leads to the reduction of the superposed state to one of the possible localized states . Among others, we discuss such a gravity-driven state reduction. Then, we approach the corresponding collapse time and the induced effective electric current in the case of a charged state, as well as the possible detection aspects.
This work presents numerical and theoretical evidence for a testable regime in which semiclassical Schrödinger–Newton dynamics predict a state-dependent gravitational self-interaction in mesoscopic quantum systems. Using large-scale Split-Step Fourier Method (SSFM) simulations, we identify a mass window (≈10⁻¹¹–10⁻¹⁰ kg) where quantum coherence and gravitational self-interaction coexist without immediate decoherence. In this regime, the gravitational self-energy depends smoothly on the spatial structure of the quantum state, leading to a differential phase evolution between superposition states with identical external potentials but different mass-density distributions. The predicted phase signal scales as m² and reaches experimentally relevant magnitudes (Δφ ≈ 10⁻³ rad) for millisecond evolution times, making the effect accessible to next-generation matter-wave and optomechanical interferometry. The work systematically validates the numerical approach, demonstrates energy conservation and convergence of the nonlinear dynamics, identifies a stable “breathing-mode” regime near 10⁻¹⁰ kg, and isolates the gravitational origin of the effect via null tests with the Schrödinger–Newton term removed. This preprint makes no claim regarding spacetime engineering, geometry manipulation, or violations of the equivalence principle. It is explicitly framed as a falsifiable test of semiclassical gravity in a previously inaccessible experimental regime. Confirmation or null detection would provide strong constraints on Schrödinger–Newton–type models and inform the ongoing search for the correct quantum–gravity interface.
The quantum measurement problem and the apparent non-deterministic nature of wave function collapse remain central foundational challenges in modern physics. In this work, we propose a fully deterministic resolution of wave function collapse based on the Scalar Dynamics of Time (SDT) framework, where time is not a background parameter but an emergent dynamical quantity derived from the phase structure of a complex scalar field. When an extended wave encounters multiple spatially separated potential barriers or detectors (labeled A, B, C, D), the interaction is governed by nonlinear phase-locking described by an Adler-type dynamical equation. We demonstrate that small local variations in the effective field frequency omega_eff(x), driven by local field potentials, lead to a phase-locking resonance at a unique localized interaction site. At this site, the effective mass squared of amplitude perturbations becomes negative (m_eff^2 < 0), triggering a tachyon-like localized amplitude condensation. Combined with global Noether charge conservation, this localized growth forces the field amplitude across all other interaction points to collapse exponentially to zero. The process yields a single, localized particle detection without invoking fundamental randomness, observer intervention, or non-local hidden variables. We present concrete, testable experimental predictions, including gravitational collapse bias, attosecond collapse timescales, and high-frequency phase noise suppression thresholds.