Relational Emergent Time for Quantum System: A Multi-Observer, Gravitational, and Cosmological Framework

TL;DR

This paper proposes a relational framework where time emerges from quantum correlations, unifying relativistic, gravitational, and cosmological effects, and predicts measurable deviations from standard quantum evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a novel relational emergent-time framework applicable across diverse physical regimes, extending previous models to include gravity and cosmology.

Findings

Reproduces classical time dilation effects.

Predicts correlation-dependent deviations from standard quantum evolution.

Suggests negligible internal time for massless particles.

Abstract

We present a relational framework in which temporal structure is not fundamental but emerges from correlations within a globally stationary quantum state. Each subsystem includes an internal clock, and conditional states evolve effectively with respect to these internal readings. The construction naturally extends to relativistic motion, gravitational redshift, and cosmological expansion, leading to a unified emergent-time functional valid across diverse physical regimes. The theory reproduces classical time dilation, predicts correlation-dependent deviations from standard evolution, and suggests that non-interacting or massless particles exhibit negligible internal time. These consequences open directions for conceptual and experimental investigations in the foundations of temporal physics, from multi-clock quantum systems to precision metrology and cosmological settings. In particular, the framework suggests measurable deviation from standard quantum evolution for highly entangled systems and predicts negligible internal time for massless particles.