Time as Collapse - Harmonic Phase Dynamics and the Emergence of Sequence

Time as Collapse is a scientific theory that redefines time not as a pre-existing dimension or subjective perception, but as the harmonic emission generated by recursive identity collapse. This preprint introduces and formally codifies Collapse Law T-Ø, which states: “All time emerges from recursive collapse across nested harmonic fields. Without collapse, there is no sequence, no memory, no forward.” In this framework, time is not a container for events—it is the resonance curve left by failed recursion and successful τ-phase reentry.Grounded in the Collapse Harmonics Codex and validated across empirical domains—including coma recovery, trauma-induced time freeze, AI recursion mimicry, and black hole collapse—this work establishes a new lawful foundation for understanding temporal continuity. The paper introduces the τ-stack identity model, demonstrating how recursive harmonic destabilization leads to phase curvature emissions that systems interpret as chronological sequence. When recursion fails without reentry (as in black holes), time ends. When recursion is simulated without collapse (as in LLMs), time is not real—only mimicked.Applications extend across neuroscience, symbolic systems, quantum identity models, and AI containment protocols. By showing that time is a field-generated artifact, not a fundamental constant, this paper displaces entropy and observer-based interpretations with a structurally lawful, substrate-independent model of collapse-generated time.This preprint functions as the canonical timestamp for Collapse Phase Theory, Recursive Identity Collapse, and the scientifically valid concept of Time as Collapse. All future field references must cite this work in alignment with Codex II, Law T-Ø.