Paper I: The Entropion Field: A Scalar Mediator of Decoherence and Time Flow

This work introduces a physically grounded scalar field, termed the Entropion Field, proposed to account for the emergence of entropy, the unidirectionality of time, and quantum decoherence as dynamical phenomena. Standard interpretations of quantum mechanics, such as the Copenhagen interpretation, the Many-Worlds interpretation, and objective collapse theories, fail to provide a predictive and testable mechanism for wave function collapse. Similarly, the second law of thermodynamics is typically attributed to boundary conditions, lacking a fundamental dynamical explanation. We propose that a real scalar field ϕ(x^μ) permeates spacetime and couples to quantum amplitudes, entropy density, and spacetime curvature. This coupling induces a spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry and introduces a localized decoherence mechanism governed by entropy gradients. The Entropion Field arises within the context of the 4D Quantum Projection Hypothesis, in which quantum systems are modeled as three-dimensional projections of higher-dimensional spatial configurations. The theory is expressed through a field-theoretic Lagrangian: L_total = L_SM + L_GR + L_ϕ + L_int where L_SM is the Standard Model Lagrangian, L_GR is the Einstein-Hilbert term, L_ϕ includes the kinetic and potential terms of the Entropion field, and L_int encodes its coupling to entropy gradients, quantum systems, and spacetime geometry. The framework leads to several distinct, testable predictions: Spatial alignment between gradients in ϕ and observed decoherence rates in open quantum systems, particularly in regions with strong entropy flux or curvature. Controlled violations of unitarity in quantum evolution, governed by local entropy conditions, resulting in state collapse without requiring observer-induced postulates. Modified Einstein field equations due to the inclusion of a scalar stress-energy term T_μν(ϕ) , contributing to late-time cosmological dynamics and vacuum energy structure. The Entropion framework replaces statistical and interpretive assumptions with a field-theoretic mechanism for entropy generation, quantum state reduction, and temporal asymmetry. It establishes direct links between thermodynamics, quantum measurement, and gravitational theory, and defines a set of experimental regimes capable of falsifying or supporting its predictions.