The geometric form of standard quantum mechanics is compatible with the two postulates: (1) the laws of physics are invariant under the choice of experimental setup and (2) every quantum observation or event is intrinsically statistical. These postulates remain compatible within a background independent extension of quantum theory with a local intrinsic time implying the relativity of the concept of a quantum event. In this extension the space of quantum events becomes dynamical and only individual quantum events make sense observationally. At the core of such a general theory of quantum relativity is the three-way interplay between the symplectic form, the dynamical metric and non-integrable almost complex structure of the space of quantum events. Such a formulation provides a missing conceptual ingredient in the search for a background independent quantum theory of gravity and matter. The crucial new technical element in our scheme derives from a set of recent mathematical results on certain infinite-dimensional almost Kahler manifolds which replace the complex projective spaces of standard quantum mechanics.
The geometric form of standard quantum mechanics is compatible with the two postulates: (1) the laws of physics are invariant under the choice of experimental setup and (2) every quantum observation or event is intrinsically statistical. These postulates remain compatible within a background independent extension of quantum theory with a local intrinsic time implying the relativity of the concept of a quantum event. In this extension the space of quantum events becomes dynamical and only individual quantum events make sense observationally. At the core of such a general theory of quantum relativity is the three-way interplay between the symplectic form, the dynamical metric and non-integrable almost complex structure of the space of quantum events. Such a formulation provides a missing conceptual ingredient in the search for a background independent quantum theory of gravity and matter. The crucial new technical element in our scheme derives from a set of recent mathematical results on certain infinite-dimensional almost Kahler manifolds which replace the complex projective spaces of standard quantum mechanics.
The Theory of Temporal Relativity proposes a unified theoretical framework that extends Special and General Relativity into the complex domain, integrating aspects of Quantum Mechanics within a single geometrical structure. The theory introduces a generalized Hilbert-space geometry and interprets quantum states as observer-dependent, arising from complex temporal relations between reference frames. Theory of Temporal Relativity is a theoretical framework proposing a unified extension of Special and General Relativity into the complex domain, with the goal of incorporating aspects of Quantum Mechanics within a consistent geometrical model. The theory generalizes Hilbert-space geometry and relativistic invariance to complex coordinates, introducing observer-dependent descriptions of physical quantities and a reinterpretation of quantum states as complex-phase relations between reference frames. Within this model, fundamental constants such as c, G, and h are not strictly universal but can exhibit apparent local variations arising from the observer’s position in the complex spacetime manifold. These variations preserve global covariance and CPT symmetry while reconciling quantum non-locality with relativistic kinematics. The framework predicts experimentally testable effects, including measurable phase shifts in interferometric experiments, possible frequency modulations in non-inertial systems, and small local deviations of physical constants detectable in condensed-matter and gravitational contexts. The supplementary work, “Quantum Uncertainty, Planck’s Constant, and Ontological Insights from Complex Spacetime Geometry and Local Metric Deformations”, develops the principle of Temporal Relativity as a foundational element of the theory. It formalizes the connection between quantum uncertainty, metric deformations, and complex temporal structures, within an alternative logical framework (AU). This extension provides both an ontological interpretation of the wavefunction and a basis for the emergence of quantum indeterminacy from geometric causes. Together, these works present a coherent attempt to unify the relativistic and quantum domains under a single complex-geometric view of spacetime, maintaining mathematical rigor while providing clear experimental pathways for empirical validation.
We provide a possible fully geometric formulation of the core idea of quantum reference frames (QRFs) as it has been applied in the context of gravity, freeing its definition from unnecessary (though convenient) ingredients, such as coordinate systems. Our formulation is based on two main ideas. First, a QRF encodes uncertainty about what is the observer's (and, hence, the measuring apparatus's) perception of time and space at each spacetime point (i.e., event). For this, an observer at an event p is modeled, as usual, as a tetrad in the tangent space Tp. So a QRF at an event p is a complex function on the tetrads at p. Second, we use the result that one can specify a metric on a given manifold by stipulating that a basis one assigns at each tangent space is to be a tetrad in the metric one wants to specify. Hence a spacetime, i.e. manifold plus metric, together with a choice of "point of view" on it, is represented by a section of the bundle of bases, understood as taking the basis assigned to each point to be a tetrad. Thus a superposition of spacetimes gets represented as, roughly speaking, an assignment of complex amplitudes to sections of this bundle. A QRF, defined here as the collection of complex amplitudes assigned to bases at events--i.e., a complex function defined on the bundle of bases of the manifold--can describe, in a local way (i.e., attributing the amplitudes to bases at events instead of to whole sections), these superpositions. We believe that this formulation sheds some light on some conceptual aspects and possible extensions of current ideas about QRFs. For instance, thinking in geometric terms makes it clear that the idea of QRFs applied to the gravitational scenarios treated in the literature (beyond linear approximation) lacks predictive power due to arbitrariness which, we argue, can only be resolved by some further input from physics.
A new law of physics is proposed, defined on the cosmological scale but with significant implications for the microscale. Motivated by nonlinear dynamical systems theory and black-hole thermodynamics, the Invariant Set Postulate proposes that cosmological states of physical reality belong to a non-computable fractal state-space geometry I , invariant under the action of some subordinate deterministic causal dynamics D I . An exploratory analysis is made of a possible causal realistic framework for quantum physics based on key properties of I . For example, sparseness is used to relate generic counterfactual states to points p ∉ I of unreality, thus providing a geometric basis for the essential contextuality of quantum physics and the role of the abstract Hilbert Space in quantum theory. Also, self-similarity, described in a symbolic setting, provides a possible realistic perspective on the essential role of complex numbers and quaternions in quantum theory. A new interpretation is given to the standard ‘mysteries’ of quantum theory: superposition, measurement, non-locality, emergence of classicality and so on. It is proposed that heterogeneities in the fractal geometry of I are manifestations of the phenomenon of gravity. Since quantum theory is inherently blind to the existence of such state-space geometries, the analysis here suggests that attempts to formulate unified theories of physics within a conventional quantum-theoretic framework are misguided, and that a successful quantum theory of gravity should unify the causal non-Euclidean geometry of space–time with the atemporal fractal geometry of state space. The task is not to make sense of the quantum axioms by heaping more structure, more definitions, more science fiction imagery on top of them, but to throw them away wholesale and start afresh. We should be relentless in asking ourselves: From what deep physical principles might we derive this exquisite structure? These principles should be crisp, they should be compelling. They should stir the soul. Chris Fuchs ( Gilder 2008 , p. 335)
The persistent challenge of unifying quantum mechanics with general relativity is often traced to a series of apparent structural tensions: complex versus real ontology, probabilistic versus deterministic dynamics, linear versus nonlinear evolution, and spectral discreteness versus geometric continuity. We argue that these tensions do not signal a fundamental incompatibility between the theories, but rather originate from surplus structure in the conventional formulation of quantum mechanics. The term unification is used in a structural sense, referring to compatibility of quantum dynamics with classical field theory rather than a modification of general relativity. Beginning from the physically indispensable requirement of matter stability, we prove that the Hamiltonian spectrum can always be shifted to become non-negative. The consequent positivity of energy enforces one-sided temporal frequency support for all physical unitary orbits. Equivalently, all scalar temporal components of physical states arise as boundary values of functions analytic in the lower half of the complex time plane, selecting the Hardy space—or, more generally, analytic tempered distributions—as the admissible solution space. In these spaces, the real and imaginary parts of the wave function are not independent; they are linked uniquely via the temporal Hilbert transform. Hence, the complex structure of quantum mechanics emerges as a representational artifact of an underlying real operator algebra. Building on our earlier work on Unified Quantum Mechanics and the Unified Real Wave Equation, we establish a rigorous proof of exact equivalence between the real-field evolution and the Schr\"odinger equation on the physical subspace. Probabilistic quantities arise naturally as quadratic invariants of analytic signals, rather than as independent postulates. We further show that quantum spectral discreteness arises from operator-theoretic confinement and boundary conditions on a smooth spacetime manifold, and does not imply any fundamental discreteness of spacetime. The resulting framework provides a real-field formulation of quantum mechanics and gravitation, with stability and causality implemented as foundational principles, and demonstrates that the Einstein field equations are compatible with a unified field-theoretic description of spacetime and matter. Extending the same analyticity principle to spacetime geometry, we propose an analytic formulation of the Einstein field equations, from which classical general relativity is recovered exactly as the real projection.
In finite dimension (at least), Quantum Mechanics can be formulated as a proper Hamiltonian theory where a notion of phase space is given by the projective space P(H) constructed on the Hilbert space H of the considered quantum theory. It is well-known P(H) can be equipped with a structure of Kähler manifold, in particular we have a symplectic form and a Poisson structure; Quantum dynamics can be described in terms of a Hamiltonian vector field on P(H). In this paper, exploiting the notion and properties of so-called frame functions, I describe a general prescription for associating quantum observables to real functions on P(H), classical-like observables, and quantum states to probability densities on P(H), Liouville densities, in order to obtain a complete and meaningful Hamiltonian formulation of a finite-dimensional quantum theory.
I take non-locality to be the Michelson–Morley experiment of the early 21st century, assume its universal validity, and try to derive its consequences. Spacetime, with its locality, cannot be fundamental, but must somehow be emergent from entangled coherent quantum variables and their behaviors. There are, then, two immediate consequences: (i). if we start with non-locality, we need not explain non-locality. We must instead explain an emergence of locality and spacetime. (ii). There can be no emergence of spacetime without matter. These propositions flatly contradict General Relativity, which is foundationally local, can be formulated without matter, and in which there is no “emergence” of spacetime. If these be true, then quantum gravity cannot be a minor alteration of General Relativity but must demand its deep reformulation. This will almost inevitably lead to: matter not only curves spacetime, but “creates” spacetime. We will see independent grounds for the assertion that matter both curves and creates spacetime that may invite a new union of quantum gravity and General Relativity. This quantum creation of spacetime consists of: (i) fully non-local entangled coherent quantum variables. (ii) The onset of locality via decoherence. (iii) A metric in Hilbert space among entangled quantum variables by the sub-additive von Neumann entropy between pairs of variables. (iv) Mapping from metric distances in Hilbert space to metric distances in classical spacetime by episodic actualization events. (v) Discrete spacetime is the relations among these discrete actualization events. (vi) “Now” is the shared moment of actualization of one among the entangled variables when the amplitudes of the remaining entangled variables change instantaneously. (vii) The discrete, successive, episodic, irreversible actualization events constitute a quantum arrow of time. (viii) The arrow of time history of these events is recorded in the very structure of the spacetime constructed. (ix) Actual Time is a succession of two or more actual events. The theory inevitably yields a UV cutoff of a new type. The cutoff is a phase transition between continuous spacetime before the transition and discontinuous spacetime beyond the phase transition. This quantum creation of spacetime modifies General Relativity and may account for Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and the possible elimination of the singularities of General Relativity. Relations to Causal Set Theory, faithful Lorentzian manifolds, and past and future light cones joined at “Actual Now” are discussed. Possible observational and experimental tests based on: (i). the existence of Sub- Planckian photons, (ii). knee and ankle discontinuities in the high-energy gamma ray spectrum, and (iii). possible experiments to detect a creation of spacetime in the Casimir system are discussed. A quantum actualization enhancement of repulsive Casimir effect would be anti-gravitational and of possible practical use. The ideas and concepts discussed here are not yet a theory, but at most the start of a framework that may be useful.