An operational bridge between quantum mechanics and general relativity
Time confronts us as something self-evident—yet it escapes any simple definition. We talk about it as if it were a thing, imagine it as a (theoretically) traversable dimension, and still tend to accept it as something that is simply “there”.
But must time belong to the essence of existence? Would time “pass” if nothing existed—and conversely, would there be anything if there were no time? Is time a stage, or a consequence? And why do we experience a direction, irreversibility—and a maximal propagation speed (light-cone structure)?
The Frame-Budget Approach (FBA) treats these questions operationally: it does not begin with “time as a coordinate”, but with what real protocols provide—distinguishable states, minimal updates, and their budget bookkeeping. Through calibration, measurable quantities emerge, such as proper time and a signal front (light-cone logic).
How does FBA answer?
- Order before clocks: start with a succession of updates (which step follows which?).
- Budget before “free dynamics”: every change has a cost—internal (system change) and external (relations/location/order).
- Calibration turns bookkeeping into physics: budgets become measurable quantities (clock time, proper time, ranges, fronts).
- Light-cone logic as a consequence: a signal front follows from positivity + calibration, not as an extra postulate.
- Irreversibility as a resource: an irreversible budget share bridges to arrow of time, thermodynamics, and aging.
Claim: In the appropriate limits, standard physics must reappear (QM/GR). Where FBA deviates, it must deviate in a testable way.
Three entry points
- “Understand time”: Part I → Part II
- “QM & measurement”: Part III → Part IV
- “Spacetime/gravity/cosmos”: Part V → Part VI → Part IX → Part X
Downloads (PDF)
Web pages are an entry point—PDFs are the reference texts (EN/DE).