Option prices from operational-time reaction-boundary lattices

Chris Angstmann and Tim Gebbie

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Abstract: We consider the role of a continuum operational time $u$, its mapping to calendar time $t$, and their relation to event time in option-pricing problems. We derive option-pricing equations from an operational-time Markov lattice rather than from a calendar-time diffusion. The primitive model is a homogeneous nearest-neighbour log-price lattice; state-dependent local variance is represented through its general local-kernel extension. Its Chapman--Kolmogorov decomposition yields discrete forward and backward equations. In price variables, the backward equation gives a generalized European pricing PDE and reduces to Black--Scholes--Merton under the risk-neutral drift restriction and constant volatility. Interpreted as a reaction boundary, the lattice gives a structural route from boundary variance to projected local volatility. The key point is the separation of the operational kernel, the calendar-time clock projection, and the pricing-measure choice. Within the deterministic one-factor local-volatility class, an option surface identifies the projected clock--variance combination rather than its operational variance and clock components separately. The resulting hierarchy also distinguishes full calendar-generator equivalence from weaker terminal or continuum matching, and clarifies why incompleteness concerns unspanned clock, jump, or renewal risks rather than random time alone.

Date: 2026-06, Revised 2026-07
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