Time as Interaction Count: A Relational Reconstruction of Quantum Temporal Phenomena

A single relational postulate — that time is the accumulated count of physical interactions — together with standard quantum mechanics and Lorentz invariance, is shown to reproduce the quantum speed limit, gravitational-redshift cancellation, Pikovski decoherence, the Salecker–Wigner–Peres clock bound, standard-quantum-limit clock stability, causal-set momentum diffusion, dimensional reduction, and relativistic time dilation — and to be observationally indistinguishable from standard physics across seven surveyed channels. A recurring theme is scale: the framework's sharpest contact with quantum gravity is scale-dependent — a spectral dimension that runs from four to two toward the Planck scale, a minimum resolvable timescale where the quantum speed limit meets the black-hole bound, and a ghost-free dimensional reduction that singles out the time direction. The contribution is conceptual unification and a transparent re-expression of relativistic time, not new phenomenology. All quantitative claims are reproduced by open Python scripts (linked repository).

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-07-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21628697
Primary Topic
Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
Type
preprint
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preprint

Time as Interaction Count: A Relational Reconstruction of Quantum Temporal Phenomena

Eman Maxwell
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
preprint

Time as Interaction Count: A Relational Reconstruction of Quantum Temporal Phenomena

Eman Maxwell
preprint en

Abstract

A single relational postulate — that time is the accumulated count of physical interactions — together with standard quantum mechanics and Lorentz invariance, is shown to reproduce the quantum speed limit, gravitational-redshift cancellation, Pikovski decoherence, the Salecker–Wigner–Peres clock bound, standard-quantum-limit clock stability, causal-set momentum diffusion, dimensional reduction, and relativistic time dilation — and to be observationally indistinguishable from standard physics across seven surveyed channels. A recurring theme is scale: the framework's sharpest contact with quantum gravity is scale-dependent — a spectral dimension that runs from four to two toward the Planck scale, a minimum resolvable timescale where the quantum speed limit meets the black-hole bound, and a ghost-free dimensional reduction that singles out the time direction. The contribution is conceptual unification and a transparent re-expression of relativistic time, not new phenomenology. All quantitative claims are reproduced by open Python scripts (linked repository).

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
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