A Coherence-Geometric Substrate for Information, Modulation, and Inference

This paper develops a coherence-geometric account of information, modulation, and inference. It treats information not as an independent symbolic object, but as structure arising from constrained phase relationships and relative configurations within a coherence-governed substrate prior to symbolic discretization. In this formulation, stable informational states correspond to low-energy coherence basins in a structured state space. Relative phase and relative configuration serve as primary carriers of informational structure, while discrete alphabets, statistical independence, and symbol-wise decoding appear as limiting approximations that arise when underlying coherence structure is suppressed or ignored. Noise is interpreted as geometric diffusion across coherence basins, and decoding is framed as basin identification or recovery rather than purely symbolic decision making. The paper does not replace Shannon information theory, but situates symbolic information theory within a broader pre-symbolic geometric substrate. It provides a foundation for later Coherence Geometry work on information, modulation, inference, analog representation, coherence basins, and engineered communication or recovery systems. This record contains the original hash-committed foundation paper associated with Coherence Geometry Canon CDR-04. The PDF is released in the same form referenced by the CDR-04 provenance record so that the public file remains consistent with the recorded SHA-256 hash. Later documents may expand individual derivations, equivalent formulations, or domain-specific consequences, while this record preserves the original foundation statement.