Recoherence and the Relational Collapse Problem_ Identity Governance as the Missing Mechanism in Relational Quantum Mechanics

Abstract This paper identifies a structural gap in Relational Quantum Mechanics: while the framework defines quantum states as relative to interactions, it does not specify the mechanism by which a determinate outcome is selected or how relational consistency is preserved across repeated interactions. Independently, the Resonance Intelligence Core (RIC) program derives that any system maintaining identity must implement governed collapse—a constraint-driven selection from a candidate state space to a single admissible outcome under invariant structure. This is formalized through identity persistence and admissibility ordering (PASₕ). The paper demonstrates a structural isomorphism between relational state transitions and governed collapse, and introduces governed recoherence as the candidate mechanism: the constraint-driven phase-lock of a relational state to a determinate outcome under identity-preserving invariants. No claim is made that this mechanism is physically realized. Instead, the paper defines the bridge between relational quantum mechanics and identity-governed selection, and specifies three falsifiable derivations required to close or reject the connection: (1) mapping governance functionals to physical operators, (2) identifying experimental divergence from decoherence, and (3) deriving parameter regimes from constraint structure. The contribution is structural: it isolates the governance gap, proposes a mechanism derived from an independent domain, and establishes a testable research program.