Dual Constraints on Physical Structure: Light as Synchronization Limit, Gravity as Persistence Limit A URT Perspective

This paper develops a constraint-level interpretation of light and gravity within the framework of Unified Recursion Theory (URT). Rather than treating the speed of light and gravitation as fundamentally different physical mechanisms—one arising from gauge fields and the other from spacetime geometry—this work reframes both as complementary elements of a single admissibility architecture governing irreversible physical change. In this formulation, light constrains lateral synchronization: it sets the maximum rate at which irreversible updates can remain causally coordinated across spatial separation. Gravity, by contrast, constrains vertical persistence: mass induces informational stiffness topology that determines which recursive structures can persist across scale and curvature. These constraints operate orthogonally and do not compete. Their joint action determines which physical processes are admissible, independent of the specific dynamics that realize them. The paper argues that long-standing tensions between quantum mechanics and general relativity arise from attempts to unify dynamics across regimes that operate under different admissibility boundaries. URT resolves this tension by relocating unification to the constraint layer. All irreversible physical updates are shown to satisfy a universal proportionality between energy expenditure and informational entropy change, while remaining free to adopt regime-specific dynamics. Key topics addressed include: Light as a synchronization constraint on irreversible updates Gravity as mass-induced informational stiffness topology Event horizons as admissibility phase boundaries rather than geometric singularities Gravitational waves as propagating distortions in admissibility structure Feedback constraints on mass growth and gravitational binding Nested admissibility shells across physical scales Dark matter as an admissibility-orthogonal sector with universal gravitational coupling This work introduces no new operators, no modifications to existing dynamical equations, and no predictive or control claims. General relativity, quantum field theory, and thermodynamics are treated as effective descriptions operating within admissible regimes defined by deeper constraint structure. The contribution is architectural and interpretive, clarifying how light and gravity function as dual constraints within a unified framework for irreversible physical change.