CSIT
Coherence-Selection Interface Theory
Foundational Physics
Coherence-Selection Interface Theory: A Dual-Domain Framework for Quantum Actuality and Emergent Time
Abstract
This paper introduces Coherence-Selection Interface Theory (CSIT), a novel interpretational framework for quantum mechanics that resolves the measurement problem and the emergence of time without modifying the unitary dynamics of the Schrödinger equation. We propose a dual-domain ontology consisting of a timeless 'potential domain' (the universal wavefunction) and a sequentially actualized 'actual domain' (classical spacetime), mediated by a global selection interface. This framework provides a rigorous resolution to the Frauchiger-Renner paradox, Wigner's Friend scenarios, and the delayed-choice quantum eraser, while offering a natural explanation for the arrow of time as the sequence of actualization events.
Key Contributions
- Dual-Domain Ontology: Formalizes the distinction between the quantum potential (Hilbert space) and the classical actual (spacetime manifold).
- Global Selection Interface: Introduces a mechanism that selects one branch of the wavefunction to become actual, preserving the Born rule.
- Emergence of Time: Derives time not as a fundamental dimension, but as the ordinal sequence of actualization events.
- Paradox Resolution: Demonstrates how the framework resolves the Frauchiger-Renner paradox by enforcing a single, consistent history in the actual domain.
The Measurement Problem Solved
Standard quantum mechanics suffers from the measurement problem: how does a superposition of states collapse into a single definite outcome? CSIT proposes that collapse is not a physical process happening to the wavefunction, but an actualization event where one possibility is selected to become part of the classical history.
The wavefunction continues to evolve unitarily in the potential domain, but only the selected branch contributes to the actual domain. This avoids the need for non-linear collapse modifications (like GRW theory) or the ontological extravagance of Many-Worlds.
Mathematical Formalism
The theory defines an actualization map 𝒜: ℋ → ℳ that projects states from the Hilbert space ℋ onto the spacetime manifold ℳ, subject to a global consistency constraint 𝒞 that ensures no contradictions (like closed timelike curves or logical paradoxes) can exist in the actual domain.