{
  "id": "oai:papers.qnfo.org:finite-distinction-quantum-mechanics",
  "slug": "finite-distinction-quantum-mechanics",
  "title": "Finite-Distinction Quantum Mechanics: Unitary Evolution and Superposition as the Large-Distinction Limit of Stochastic Thermodynamics",
  "authors": [
    "Rowan Brad Quni-Gudzinas"
  ],
  "abstract": "A finite-entropy world is a finite-distinction world: uncountable precision is unphysical, while computable depth and p-adic valuation remain physically real. The state-space geometry of finite distinctions is combinatorial and ultrametric; quantum mechanics read as thermodynamics is a stochastic thermodynamics of finite alternatives, with unitary evolution and superposition conjectured as the large-distinction limit of an entropy-Hessian gradient flow (supported at finite N within the per-distinction model; 6/6 computational checks, seed 20260821). The Hilbert-space formulation over the complex numbers is that limit — a map, not the territory.",
  "abstract_markdown": "A finite-entropy world is a finite-distinction world: uncountable precision is unphysical, while computable depth and p-adic valuation remain physically real. The state-space geometry of finite distinctions is combinatorial and ultrametric; quantum mechanics read as thermodynamics is a stochastic thermodynamics of finite alternatives, with unitary evolution and superposition conjectured as the large-distinction limit of an entropy-Hessian gradient flow (supported at finite N within the per-distinction model; 6/6 computational checks, seed 20260821). The Hilbert-space formulation over the complex numbers is that limit — a map, not the territory.",
  "date": "2026-08-21",
  "first_published": "2026-08-21",
  "last_revised": "2026-08-21T00:00:00Z",
  "modified": "2026-08-21T00:00:00Z",
  "version": "1.0.2",
  "version_count": 1,
  "language": "en",
  "keywords": [
    "finite information",
    "ultrametric",
    "stochastic thermodynamics",
    "entropy Hessian",
    "quantum foundations",
    "p-adic",
    "Page-Wootters",
    "maximum entropy",
    "unitarity emergence"
  ],
  "quality_tags": [
    "High-quality scholarly research",
    "open-access scholarly work",
    "versioned research publication"
  ],
  "quality_label": "High-quality scholarly research",
  "quality_basis": "QNFO publisher classification for open-access, versioned research with a public revision history and reader correction channel; this is not a claim of independent peer review.",
  "quality_evidence_url": "https://qnfo.org/about",
  "peer_review_status": "Not independently peer-reviewed",
  "resource_type": "ScholarlyArticle",
  "doi": null,
  "doi_url": null,
  "url": "https://papers.qnfo.org/papers/finite-distinction-quantum-mechanics",
  "license_url": "https://legal.qnfo.org/",
  "license_spdx": null,
  "sha256": "66e746f891bda1af03dc3e2e4a616d83eee757740ee69d6a10f129c4fea5e552",
  "version_url": "https://papers.qnfo.org/papers/finite-distinction-quantum-mechanics/v/1.0.2",
  "datacite": {
    "schemaVersion": "http://datacite.org/schema/kernel-4",
    "identifiers": [
      {
        "identifier": "https://papers.qnfo.org/papers/finite-distinction-quantum-mechanics",
        "identifierType": "URL"
      }
    ],
    "creators": [
      {
        "name": "Rowan Brad Quni-Gudzinas",
        "nameType": "Personal",
        "nameIdentifiers": [
          {
            "nameIdentifier": "https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4317-5604",
            "nameIdentifierScheme": "ORCID",
            "schemeUri": "https://orcid.org"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "titles": [
      {
        "title": "Finite-Distinction Quantum Mechanics: Unitary Evolution and Superposition as the Large-Distinction Limit of Stochastic Thermodynamics"
      }
    ],
    "publisher": "QNFO",
    "publicationYear": "2026",
    "resourceType": {
      "resourceTypeGeneral": "Text",
      "resourceType": "ScholarlyArticle"
    },
    "subjects": [
      {
        "subject": "finite information"
      },
      {
        "subject": "ultrametric"
      },
      {
        "subject": "stochastic thermodynamics"
      },
      {
        "subject": "entropy Hessian"
      },
      {
        "subject": "quantum foundations"
      },
      {
        "subject": "p-adic"
      },
      {
        "subject": "Page-Wootters"
      },
      {
        "subject": "maximum entropy"
      },
      {
        "subject": "unitarity emergence"
      },
      {
        "subject": "High-quality scholarly research",
        "subjectScheme": "QNFO publisher classification",
        "schemeUri": "https://qnfo.org/about"
      },
      {
        "subject": "open-access scholarly work",
        "subjectScheme": "QNFO publisher classification",
        "schemeUri": "https://qnfo.org/about"
      },
      {
        "subject": "versioned research publication",
        "subjectScheme": "QNFO publisher classification",
        "schemeUri": "https://qnfo.org/about"
      }
    ],
    "dates": [
      {
        "date": "2026-08-21",
        "dateType": "Issued"
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-08-21",
        "dateType": "Updated"
      }
    ],
    "language": "en",
    "version": "1.0.2",
    "rightsList": [
      {
        "rightsUri": "https://legal.qnfo.org/"
      }
    ],
    "descriptions": [
      {
        "description": "A finite-entropy world is a finite-distinction world: uncountable precision is unphysical, while computable depth and p-adic valuation remain physically real. The state-space geometry of finite distinctions is combinatorial and ultrametric; quantum mechanics read as thermodynamics is a stochastic thermodynamics of finite alternatives, with unitary evolution and superposition conjectured as the large-distinction limit of an entropy-Hessian gradient flow (supported at finite N within the per-distinction model; 6/6 computational checks, seed 20260821). The Hilbert-space formulation over the complex numbers is that limit — a map, not the territory.",
        "descriptionType": "Abstract"
      },
      {
        "description": "Publisher quality classification: High-quality scholarly research. QNFO publisher classification for open-access, versioned research with a public revision history and reader correction channel; this is not a claim of independent peer review.",
        "descriptionType": "Other"
      },
      {
        "description": "Peer review status: Not independently peer-reviewed",
        "descriptionType": "Other"
      }
    ],
    "formats": [
      "text/html"
    ]
  }
}