Quantizing the Subjective Now: The A-T-C Framework of Conscious Time and Causal Sequencing

Abstract Core Theoretical Framework: Conscious Time Identity and Informational Density The nature of time remains one of the most profound unresolved paradoxes bridging theoretical physics and cognitive neuroscience. While relativistic models treat time as an objective, external parameter, the phenomenology of lived experience suggests a dynamic subjective construction. This paper introduces the A-T-C (Analytical-Temporality-Consciousness) Framework, a novel theoretical model that reconciles Monistic and Subjectivist ontologies by formalizing the identity: Experience ≡ ‘Conscious Time’ (CT). We propose a quantifiable metric, Conscious Time Density (CT Density), which defines the perceived flow of temporality as a function of Subjective Information Density (SID). The framework is mathematically operationalized through the functional model: CT Density=ΔtChronos C⋅Φ⋅RΦ where Φ represents the system’s irreducible integrative capacity and RΦ quantifies the rate of non-redundant salient information processing. We argue that causal directionality is not an intrinsic property of the universe but an observer-dependent artifact imposed by the CT sequencing mechanism onto a pre-conscious state of Temporal Holism. By correlating CT Density with neurophysiological markers such as Gamma/Theta wave synchronization and ERP latencies (P300, N100), the A-T-C Framework transitions from abstract metaphysics to a testable functional model, offering new insights into temporal dilation, cognitive aging, and the fundamental structure of reality. Keywords: Temporality; Conscious Time (CT); A-T-C Framework; Subjective Information Density (SID); Integrated Information Theory (Φ); Decoherence; Causal Ordering; Functional Metaphysics; Rᵩ.