Meaning as the Temporal Substrate of Consciousness: A Scale-Invariant Field Theory of Adaptive Projection

This work develops a formal, scale-invariant framework distinguishing instantaneous structural coherence (Ω) from time-extended trajectory differentiation (M). Coherence is modeled as a geometric mean over four vertices—Awareness (A), Experience (E), Identity (I), and Agency (G)—with a dimensional necessity condition for omnidirectional agency (K ≥ d+1). Meaning (M) is defined as trajectory differentiation under coherence gating, establishing Ω–M orthogonality at the level of regime structure. The manuscript provides analytic derivations for stability and agency conditions and includes simulation studies illustrating regime distinctions. Supplementary Information contains mathematical details, implementation notes, and full code listings supporting reproducibility.