Operational Time (O-Time): An Observer-Dependent Framework for Time as Information Absorption Rate

Abstract

This paper introduces "Operational Time (O-Time)," a theoretical framework that redefines time as a rate of differentiated information absorption by an observer. By integrating concepts from Information Theory, Thermodynamics (Bekenstein Bound, Margolus-Levitin Theorem), and cognitive processing constraints, the model suggests that time is not an absolute background dimension but a variable quantity dependent on the observer's attentional capacity, differentiation efficiency, and processing limits. The work provides a mathematical formulation for observer-dependent temporal dynamics. This is a conceptual and preliminary framework. It does not provide numerical data, figures, detailed experimental methods, or empirical validation.