The Coherence Field Equation: A Scalar–Tensor Effective Field Theory Linking Biological Coherence and Cosmology

We propose the Coherence Field Equation (CFE) as a scalar–tensor effective field framework in which biological coherence and cosmological structure emerge from a unified dynamical field permeating spacetime. The theory introduces a symmetric coherence tensor coupled to a scalar order parameter undergoing spontaneous symmetry breaking, providing a mathematically consistent mechanism for environment-dependent coherence phenomena without violating known constraints on spin-2 fields. Within this framework, biological systems interact with the coherence field through a bilinear source coupling derived from matter stress-energy and organized structural dynamics. This interaction generates a sourced field equation whose solutions describe collective coherence patterns in neural systems and large-scale cosmological behavior. Phase dynamics are governed by spontaneous breaking of a global symmetry, yielding long-range collective effects mediated by emergent modes of the scalar sector. To connect field theory with empirical neuroscience, we define a dimensionless Coherence Resonance Index (CRI) that integrates substrate structure, metabolic energy, information integration, and phase alignment. Consciousness emerges as a critical phase transition when CRI exceeds a threshold value of approximately 0.40, where the functional form is derived from field stability analysis and the numerical value is calibrated using independent neurophysiological data. This formulation resolves dimensional inconsistencies between physical field amplitudes and observable biological thresholds. An environment-dependent effective mass mechanism, analogous to symmetron and chameleon models, explains why coherence is amplified in highly structured biological media while remaining suppressed in unstructured dense matter and cosmological backgrounds. In the limit of vanishing coherence, the theory reduces to standard General Relativity, while deviations predict measurable signatures in gravitational wave dispersion, fifth-force experiments, quantum biological coherence, and cosmological structure formation. The CFE framework provides a unified, mathematically consistent, and experimentally falsifiable extension of relativistic field theory, linking quantum coherence in biological systems with modified gravitational dynamics. By framing consciousness and cosmological structure within a single effective field architecture, the theory offers a testable pathway toward integrating information, matter, and spacetime within contemporary physics.