A Physical Law for the Local Generation of Time: Irreversible Record Formation and the Contraction of Accessible Futures

AbstractStandard quantum theory presupposes an external temporal parameter, while general relativityadmits no preferred global time, producing the problem of time in quantum gravity. We developa framework in which physical time is not fundamental but is locally generated by irreversibleclassical record formation in open quantum systems.We introduce the Future Contraction Postulate (FCP), defining the local physical time incrementas proportional to the logarithmic contraction of the record-compatible future state-spacevolume Ω.Δt = −kₜ ΔlnΩ.where Ω denotes the coarse-grained set of decoherence-stable macroscopic futures compatiblewith existing classical records. In the continuum limit of Markovian decoherence, we derive theunique local time-generation lawdt = kₜ Γ(τ ) dτ,relating temporal generation to the irreversible record-formation (decoherence) rate Γ(τ ). The framework predicts the existence of atemporal regimes in the limit Γ → 0 and establishesa sharp thermodynamic falsifiability criterion: any system exhibiting stable classical recordswithout monotonic contraction of Ω would contradict the postulate. In macroscopic thermodynamicregimes the generated time coincides with standard proper time measured by physicalclocks. We further discuss speculative cosmological implications in which classical spacetimegeometry is interpreted as an emergent historical residue of irreversible record formation.