Correlation Degradation, Rank Collapse, and Operational Horizons in Observational Physics

This paper develops a general operational framework describing how observable correlations degrade under finite signal speed, bandwidth limitations, and cumulative accessibility loss. Correlation degradation is shown to induce rank collapse in observable algebras, naturally generating effective horizons across physical domains. Applications range from quantum measurement and decoherence to cosmological observation and relativistic signaling. The approach reframes entropy growth, irreversibility, and classical emergence as consequences of horizon-induced operational projection rather than microscopic disorder. Zenodo Keywords Correlation degradation Rank collapse Operational horizons Information loss Observational limits Decoherence Entropy