The Constrained Emergence Framework

The Constrained Emergence Framework (CEF) is an operational program for diagnosing when and how classicality and stable information emerge from quantum dynamics under realistic constraints. The manuscript is organized across seven phases: (1) einselection & the predictability sieve, (2) relativistic consistency & no-signaling (Tomonaga–Schwinger ledger), (3) boundary (“Ceiling”) factorization & compression rank, (4) origin of probability via (ε-)envariance (equal→rational→irrational ladder), (5) worked models & conventions, (6) beyond-Gaussian noise & finite-width collapse (S4/S5), and (7) active agency & resource-bound performance (S6–S8). The derivations use standard structures (GKSL, TS, Mercer/Cholesky, continuity bounds) with no heuristic shortcuts; microcausality ensures foliation-independent, on-slice reasoning. Each phase includes definitions, symbol tables, and falsifiable signatures with measurement recipes and resource budgets.