Measurement as Record-Registration: A Locked-Null Protocol for Testing Record-Level Structure in Quantum Computing Readout
William T Partin · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
This manuscript presents a methods‑forward, operational protocol for evaluating record‑level structure in quantum‑computing measurement telemetry. The framework defines classical definiteness at the record layer and treats pre‑record states as predictive descriptions rather than classical facts. A locked null‑model family is specified in advance, incorporating standard quantum dynamics together with correlated and documented non‑Markovian device effects. The protocol provides operational definitions, preregistered endpoints, residual‑adjudication criteria, negative controls, a fixed windowing discipline, and a bound‑first reporting standard designed to yield informative constraints under null results. Because the protocol relies only on standard measurement telemetry and preregistered analysis rules, it is directly implementable across contemporary quantum‑computing platforms and does not depend on any single dataset or hardware realization. The manuscript is a specification paper: it defines a reproducible evidentiary framework for record‑level claims, while empirical implementation and benchmarking are left to subsequent studies.