The Timeless Substrate and the Dynamic Field: Invariance, Entanglement, and the Nature of Mass

J. Rogers, SE Ohio, 21 July 2025, 2026

Abstract
We propose a two-layer model of reality that resolves the apparent conflict between quantum non-locality and relativistic causality. This framework posits a fundamental, timeless, and non-local substrate whose properties are invariant to time-translation, and a dynamic, time-dependent scalar field (S_u) that emerges from it, creating the experience of spacetime and local causality. We argue that certain fundamental properties—spin, charge, and rest mass—are rooted in the invariant substrate, while dynamic properties like momentum and relativistic energy arise from motion through the S_u field. This model naturally explains quantum entanglement as an instantaneous correlation within the timeless substrate, bypassing the causal limits of the dynamic field. Furthermore, we reconceptualize rest mass not as a static property, but as a stable, self-sustaining "trapped time experience"—a localized, high-frequency oscillation of the S_u field whose persistence is governed by the invariant rules of the substrate. This duality explains the Equivalence Principle and reveals that time and distance are two perceptual facets of the same underlying causal separation.

1. The Two-Layer Architecture of Reality

The foundational paradox of modern physics is the clash between the instantaneous, non-local nature of quantum entanglement and the strict, local, and time-ordered causality of General Relativity. We resolve this by positing that these are not conflicting theories, but descriptions of two distinct but interconnected layers of reality.

• Layer 1: The Invariant Substrate. A fundamental, pre-geometric, and timeless foundation. This layer is not "in" spacetime; it is the logical ground upon which spacetime is built. Its defining characteristic is invariance to time translation. The rules of this substrate are instantaneous and non-local.

• Layer 2: The Dynamic  An emergent, time-dependent field that constitutes the fabric of spacetime itself. All interactions and propagation of information within this layer are local and subject to a maximum speed of causality (c). Time, as we experience it, is the measure of evolution and change within this dynamic field.

2. Invariance, Time, and Entanglement

Certain fundamental properties of particles do not evolve with the passage of time. The most prominent examples are spin and electric charge. These properties are not scaled by time; they are intrinsic and unchanging identifiers.

Our central proposition is that these invariant properties reside in the timeless substrate (Layer 1).

This has a profound consequence for quantum entanglement. When two particles become entangled (e.g., their total spin is fixed at zero), a single, unified state is established for their invariant properties within the timeless substrate. Since this substrate is non-local and atemporal, this correlation is instantaneous and independent of any spatial separation that subsequently develops between the particles in the dynamic S_u field.

The "spooky action at a distance" is therefore a category error: it is an attempt to explain a Layer 1 phenomenon using Layer 2 rules. There is no faster-than-light signal. The correlation is not propagating through spacetime; it is a pre-existing, static fact in the substrate that underlies spacetime. Entanglement is our experimental window into the timeless, non-local nature of reality's foundation.

3. The Duality of Mass: The Trapped Time Experience

Mass presents a unique duality, having one foot in each layer.

• Rest Mass ( We propose that rest mass is not a static property residing in the substrate, but a stable, self-sustaining, dynamic pattern  whose existence is governed by the invariant rules of the substrate. It is a localized, high-frequency oscillation of the field folded back on itself—a "trapped time experience." This structure behaves as an externally invariant object, possessing inertia because its self-contained pattern resists displacement. The energy required to sustain this pattern is what we measure as E = m₀c².

• Relativistic Mass-Energy: A Dynamic Effect. Properties that vary with motion, such as momentum and kinetic energy, are purely Layer 2 phenomena. They represent the interaction of the invariant mass-pattern with the broader flow and dynamics of the S_u field. The increase in a particle's effective mass with velocity is a measure of the increased resistance (or "drag") from the S_u field due to its motion relative to an observer's frame.

This duality seamlessly explains the Equivalence Principle. The universe, or the S_u field, cannot distinguish its response to a particle's invariant mass creating a global curvature (gravity) from its response to the same particle's dynamic motion through its local structure (acceleration). In both cases, the perceived force is the result of resisting the structure and flow of the S_u field.

4. Time and Distance: Two Views of One Thing

This framework forces a re-evaluation of time and distance. They are not independent axes of a pre-existing container. They are two perceptual facets of a single, underlying concept: causal separation within the dynamic S_u field.

• Time (Δt) is the separation between events as measured by the evolution of the S_u field itself—the "internal clock" of a process.

• Distance (Δx) is the separation between events as measured by the propagation required for one to causally affect the other through the S_u field.

The constant c is not a speed through space; it is the fundamental conversion factor between these two views. It is the fixed ratio Δx / Δt for any unhindered causal propagation. This is why entanglement appears to "happen instantly across any distance"—it is a phenomenon rooted in the Layer 1 substrate where the concepts of Δt and Δx, as defined by the Layer 2 field, do not exist.

5. Conclusion

Physics is not a single story; it is a tale of two layers. A timeless, non-local, invariant substrate provides the eternal rules and identities for what can exist. An emergent, dynamic, and local field (S_u) provides the stage for the evolution, interaction, and causal unfolding we call spacetime.

Properties invariant to time, like spin, allow us to directly probe the non-local nature of the substrate through entanglement. Properties that are themselves dynamic patterns, like rest mass, bridge the two layers, explaining the equivalence of gravity and acceleration. By understanding this architecture, we resolve the deepest paradoxes of physics and see that time and distance are not the cage of reality, but merely the perceptual bars created by the dynamic flow of the universe.