Process Rate Mechanism

Resonance, cycle closure, and why clocks differ without time dilation

Purpose of this page

This page describes the physical mechanism underlying all process-rate effects used throughout the FM experiments.

It introduces:

no new data
no speculative assumptions
no untestable claims

It explains how rate differences arise using only:

resonance
coherent cycle closure
measurable physical processes

What a process rate is

A process rate is the rate at which a physical system completes coherent cycles.

A cycle is complete only when resonance conditions are satisfied
Partial or internal activity does not count
Only completed cycles are physically registered

Atomic clocks, particle decays, oscillators, and wave periods all follow this same structure.

Resonance and cycle closure

Resonance is the condition that allows a cycle to close coherently.

A system may:

contain intense internal activity
circulate energy internally
perform many intermediate operations

But no cycle is complete until:

phase coherence is restored
resonance with the surrounding medium is achieved

Cycle closure is the physical event that defines a tick.

Internal activity vs completed cycles

A key distinction:

Internal activity and completed cycles are not the same thing.

As physical demands increase (motion, gradients, rotation):

internal activity increases
more internal operations are required
cycles become harder to close

This leads to a reduction in completed cycles per comparison, even though internal dynamics continue uninterrupted.

This is what is observed as a reduced process rate.

Saturation and coherence limits

There exists a limit set by the medium’s ability to support coherent propagation.

As this limit is approached:

all available process capacity is used to maintain coherence
no surplus remains to close additional cycles

At saturation:

internal dynamics do not stop
activity does not freeze
but no new coherent cycles can complete

This is a coherence limit, not a prohibition of motion or energy.

Why the speed of light appears as a limit

In this framework:

the speed of light is not a limit on motion itself
it is the maximum speed at which coherent cycles can propagate and close

It marks the saturation point of:

compressional wave propagation
phase-locked resonance
coherent cycle completion

Beyond this, coherence fails — not existence.

No internal or external time

Because only completed cycles are counted:

there is no internal time
no external time
no observer-dependent time

All descriptions refer to the same physical events:

cycle closure
resonance loss
structural change

Internal activity between closures is real, but it is not time.

Relation to experiments

This single mechanism explains:

atomic clock rate differences
muon lifetime observations
signal delays near mass
phase shifts in rotating systems
coherence limits at high velocity

No separate mechanisms are introduced.

What this mechanism replaces

This description removes the need for:

time dilation as a physical effect
spacetime curvature as an active agent
observer-dependent time descriptions
length contraction as a physical mechanism

All effects arise from:

resonance conditions
cycle closure limits
interaction with a physical medium

Core statement

Physical time does not slow down.
Completed cycles become less frequent because coherence is harder to maintain.

The fundamental limit is not time or motion, but coherent cycle completion.