Equivalence of relativistic causal structure and process terminality

In general relativity, causal structure' refers to the partial order on space-time points (or regions) that encodes time-like relationships. Recently, quantum information and quantum foundations saw the emergence of a causality principle’. In the form used in this paper, which we call `process terminality’, it states that when the output of a process is discarded, then the process itself may as well be discarded. While causal structure and process terminality at first seem to be entirely different notions, they become equivalent when making explicit what the partial order actually encodes, that is, that an event in the past can influence one in its future, but not vice-versa. The framework in which we establish this equivalence is that of process theories. We show how several previous results are instances of this result and comment on how this framework could provide an ideal, minimal canvas for crafting theories of quantum gravity.