The Quantum Theory of Duality: Core Papers (2026)

The Quantum Theory of Duality is a minimal phenomenological framework for open quantum systems, centered on a single symmetry-protected dissipative term κ(t)(D ρ D − ρ) that is invariant under a self-adjoint involution D. This collection (v2, January 2026) gathers the five foundational papers that establish its core structure: - Thermodynamic constraint on single-parameter memory-depth models - Duality-invariant dissipator with exact hidden time-reversal symmetry - T-duality and orientifold embedding of the duality involution in type IIB string theory - Coherent superpositions across duality sectors in extended Hilbert space - Conceptual introduction and unifying perspective The framework rests on three interlocking principles: non-negative contribution of memory relaxation to entropy production, monotonic relaxation of a single scalar memory-depth parameter α(t) toward the Markovian limit, and dissipator invariance under D. A global Lyapunov-like functional Φ(α) witnesses irreversible memory dissipation across all extensions. The four arrows of time — entropy increase, memory dissipation, duality flips, and resonance — are shown to be complementary manifestations of one irreversible process driven by the dissipator. No microscopic derivation of κ(t) is proposed; the work remains strictly algebraic, thermodynamic, and phenomenological. Experimental proposals and extensions to cosmology or foundational questions are exploratory interpretations, not predictions.