Time as an Information Queue: A Throughput-Limited Model of Spacetime and Quantum Phenomena

This preprint presents a speculative but internally consistent framework in which time is not treated as a fundamental dimension, but as an emergent ordering imposed by finite-capacity state transitions in space. Space is modeled as a discrete lattice of single-occupancy units, each capable of holding exactly one state and transitioning at a bounded rate. Within this model, apparent motion corresponds to pattern propagation rather than physical transport, the relativistic speed limit emerges as a throughput constraint, time dilation follows from update contention, and gravity arises from persistent local saturation of update capacity. Black holes correspond to permanent queue saturation. The framework is further extended to core quantum phenomena, interpreting entanglement, superposition, and measurement as consequences of shared scheduling constraints and pending state resolution rather than non-local information transfer or hidden variables. The work is intended as a foundations-level proposal designed to provoke critical analysis and identify failure modes, rather than as a completed physical theory. Keywords: time, spacetime, information theory, quantum foundations, relativity, gravity, entropy, causality, discrete spacetime, computational models of physics