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Research . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Research . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Observational Equivalence and the Emergence of Classical Structure

Authors: Gottlieb, Joshua Ross;

Observational Equivalence and the Emergence of Classical Structure

Abstract

Physical systems are typically described by large state spaces together with dynamical lawsgoverning their evolution. In practice, however, observers do not access the full state spacedirectly. Observation occurs through limited measurement interfaces that restrict which dis-tinctions between states can be detected. In earlier work, these interfaces were formalized as apertures, and observable structure wasidentified with distinctions that remain persistently detectable under dynamical evolution. Thepresent paper studies how classical observable structure emerges within this framework.We show that each aperture induces an observational equivalence relation on the underlyingstate space, partitioning states into indistinguishable classes. When the dynamics respects thisrelation, it induces a well-defined quotient dynamics on the observable state space. Because realsystems are noisy and observational resolution is finite, we also introduce a notion of approximatecompatibility, allowing observational neighborhoods to evolve in a controlled way. Within this setting, classical objects appear as stable sectors of the observable quotient dy-namics whose defining distinctions remain persistently and redundantly detectable across mul-tiple apertures. These ideas are illustrated using a simple decoherence model, where coherencedistinctions decay while population distinctions remain stable.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
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