N-Record Theory (NRT): Records, Screens, and the Emergence of Geometry

N-Record Theory (NRT): Records, Screens, and the Emergence of Geometry | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article N-Record Theory (NRT): Records, Screens, and the Emergence of Geometry Nakul Vyas This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8733660/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We formulate N-Record Theory (NRT), a records-first operational framework aimed at clarifying how spacetime geometry can arise as an effective description of stable facts. The primitive notions are persistent records, admissible interventions, and operational influence. No background manifold, metric, or microscopic locality is assumed at the primitive level. The influence relation induces an ordering of record creation acts that defines a notion of record time , with temporal orientation fixed by irreversible record formation. This arrow is defined prior to, and does not rely on, any equilibrium assumption. Local Record Equilibrium is a special near-equilibrium limit of the same irreversible bookkeeping; only in this limit, together with focusing/closure assumptions, does Einstein dynamics emerge at leading order. Records are graded: reversible proto-records need not constitute facts, while locked records are effectively irreversible. We summarize this by a lock strength λ ∈ [0, 1] (defined operationally below), with λ → 1 selecting the stable-record regime in which redundancy-based observables become sharp. For a chosen family of independent witnesses (verifiers of redundant records), a screen Σ is an operational cut separating accessible from inaccessible degrees of freedom. Its channel capacity N cross (Σ) is the maximal number of mutually independent record-carrying channels that cross Σ. In record-dense regimes, capacity calibrates an intrinsic area A(Σ) = ℓ 2 0 N cross (Σ) and bounds the maximal objective record entropy on the screen. For a chosen objectivity convention (m, ϵ), redundancy-saturated screens exhibit a stable encoding plateau η = N bits /N cross → η∗(m, ϵ). In the continuum regime, we introduce a Lorentzian effective description calibrated by screen capacities. Under a local equilibrium closure for infinitesimal causal screens and a local capacity-response parameterization, the leading generally covariant two-derivative dynamics takes Einstein form with a record-dependent cosmological term. As an existence proof that the primitives are executable, we also present a discrete implementation. In its dense regime, the scaling N cross (R) ∝ R 2 implies an emergent effective spatial dimension d ≃ 3, while isotropy diagnostics approach N out /N cross → 1/2. records quantum foundations emergent spacetime thermodynamic gravity holography channel capacity Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8733660","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":582583791,"identity":"fdbcb7b0-aaaa-4c85-8ec0-c49edd6b98a8","order_by":0,"name":"Nakul Vyas","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAxElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYNCCigMQOoF4LWdI1sLYdoB44xnMJXIMP/6cd0fO4PwZM4kHDHZyug0EtFjOyDGW5t32zNjgRo6ZRAJDsrEZIRsNzpwxkGbcdjhxww0eY4MEhgOJ24jQYvzz55zD9RvOnyFWy/EeMwnehsMJBgdyDB8QqaWtzJrn2GHDmTfSCh8kGBDjl8PMm2/+qDksz3f+8IaDPyrs5AhqYWDgMABTCmCVBgSVgwD7AzAl30CU6lEwCkbBKBiJAADwzUgzHMnN+AAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Stuttgart","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nakul","middleName":"","lastName":"Vyas","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-29 16:23:33","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8733660/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8733660/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102963287,"identity":"070f347e-5b71-418d-83a8-ac70eeb9c4cd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-19 04:15:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":451179,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FoPNRTsubmission.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8733660/v1_covered_0fc061ab-54d4-403d-b766-fd41cd86cc7b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"N-Record Theory (NRT): Records, Screens, and the Emergence of Geometry","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"records, quantum foundations, emergent spacetime, thermodynamic gravity, holography, channel capacity","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8733660/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8733660/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWe formulate \u003cem\u003eN-Record Theory\u003c/em\u003e (NRT), a records-first operational framework aimed at clarifying how spacetime geometry can arise as an effective description of stable facts. The primitive notions are persistent records, admissible interventions, and operational influence. No background manifold, metric, or microscopic locality is assumed at the primitive level. The influence relation induces an ordering of record creation acts that defines a notion of \u003cem\u003erecord time\u003c/em\u003e, with temporal orientation fixed by irreversible record formation. This arrow is defined prior to, and does not rely on, any equilibrium assumption. Local Record Equilibrium is a special near-equilibrium limit of the same irreversible bookkeeping; only in this limit, together with focusing/closure assumptions, does Einstein dynamics emerge at leading order. Records are graded: reversible \u003cem\u003eproto-records\u003c/em\u003e need not constitute facts, while \u003cem\u003elocked \u003c/em\u003erecords are effectively irreversible. We summarize this by a lock strength λ ∈ [0, 1] (defined operationally below), with λ → 1 selecting the stable-record regime in which redundancy-based observables become sharp.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a chosen family of independent \u003cem\u003ewitnesses \u003c/em\u003e(verifiers of redundant records), a \u003cem\u003escreen \u003c/em\u003eΣ is an operational cut separating accessible from inaccessible degrees of freedom. Its channel capacity N\u003csub\u003ecross\u003c/sub\u003e(Σ) is the maximal number of mutually independent record-carrying channels that cross Σ. In record-dense regimes, capacity calibrates an intrinsic area A(Σ) = ℓ\u003csup\u003e 2\u003c/sup\u003e \u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003eN\u003csub\u003ecross\u003c/sub\u003e(Σ) and bounds the maximal objective record entropy on the screen. For a chosen objectivity convention (m, ϵ), redundancy-saturated screens exhibit a stable encoding plateau η = N\u003csub\u003ebits\u003c/sub\u003e/N\u003csub\u003ecross\u003c/sub\u003e → η∗(m, ϵ).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the continuum regime, we introduce a Lorentzian effective description calibrated by screen capacities. Under a local equilibrium closure for infinitesimal causal screens and a local capacity-response parameterization, the leading generally covariant two-derivative dynamics takes Einstein form with a record-dependent cosmological term.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs an existence proof that the primitives are executable, we also present a discrete implementation. In its dense regime, the scaling N\u003csub\u003ecross\u003c/sub\u003e(R) ∝ R\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e implies an emergent effective spatial dimension d ≃ 3, while isotropy diagnostics approach N\u003csub\u003eout\u003c/sub\u003e/N\u003csub\u003ecross\u003c/sub\u003e → 1/2.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"N-Record Theory (NRT): Records, Screens, and the Emergence of Geometry","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-30 08:48:04","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8733660/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"12520fbd-0f40-495b-8118-cb643849ed83","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 30th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-17T13:11:27+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-30 08:48:04","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8733660","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8733660","identity":"rs-8733660","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}