Topological Entanglement: Mass, Energy, and the Speed of Light in the Dual‑Domain Ontology

Abstract

The speed of light is usually taken as a fundamental postulate. Within the dual‑domain ontology, it acquires a structural interpretation. The standard definition of the fine‑structure constant, together with its independent measurement (for example, via the quantum anomalous Hall effect as a purely geometrical rotation angle), expresses the speed of light as a ratio of electromagnetic and quantum constants. This is not a derivation from something more fundamental, but a structural reinterpretation of its role. Within the dual‑domain ontology, where spacetime emerges from a timeless quantum domain (QD) of pure stochasticity, this ratio reveals an underlying transduction engine: one combination of constants is interpreted as the raw quantum potential–the energy currency of the QD–while another combination is interpreted as the geometric impedance of space–the grid tension of the spacetime domain (SD). The speed of light is the threshold at which QD potential is throttled by SD resistance. The paper then explores consequences: electric-dominated and magnetic-dominated field configurations as QD-leaning and SD-leaning respectively, with null fields (light) on the boundary, static magnetic force without energy consumption as topological filtering, wave-particle duality as the 2D null object's manifestation, and decoherence from strong magnetic fields. These results outline a conceptual framework for electromagnetism, the speed of light, and the quantum‑gravity boundary. This work is conceptual; formalization is left for future collaboration. Keywords: dual‑domain ontology; fine‑structure constant; quantum anomalous Hall effect; entanglement topology; quantum decoherence; emergent spacetime