This work presents a conceptual formulation of black holes within the Scalar Drag Emergence Framework (SDEF), in which black holes arise as coherence-saturation regimes of persistence dynamics rather than singularities. The framework is based on a primitive generator Π that governs the evolution of a persistence field through transport and scalar drag. A central quantity, escape capacity (ε), is introduced as a measure of local transport accessibility. It is constructed from the spectral structure of the transport tensor T = ∇(g ∇φ), linking horizon formation to a reduction in the effective dimensionality of transport. In this formulation, horizons correspond to transitions where ε falls below a critical threshold, and interior regions are characterized by strongly constrained transport directions rather than geometric singularities. Emission and dynamical behavior emerge from boundary fluctuations and environmental variations in the persistence field, providing a non-singular interpretation of black hole radiation and transient phenomena. All regimes are local and arise from the same underlying generator, without invoking spacetime geometry or external interaction laws. This work is intended as an exploratory, generator-based framework for discussion, critique, and further development, rather than a definitive physical theory. It aims to provide a structurally consistent alternative perspective on black hole behavior and structure formation.
Pej Evan Bartolo (Mon,) studied this question.