Glossary

Terminology panel for newcomers. The core axioms, cipher mechanics, recurrence engines, methodology terms, and discipline rules — defined plainly, with cross-links into the research entries that use each term.

Foundational axioms

The three axioms from which everything in TLT is derived. Established in Paper 1.

f|t pulse
A frequency pulse separated by a decoherence parameter t. 'f' is the accumulation/peak; '|t' is the cooling/reorganization. Every phenomenon in the framework derives from this single waveform.
r = 0.5 ceiling
The decoherence ratio at which dimensional overflow occurs. When r reaches 0.5, the current dimension can no longer hold the accumulated structure; overflow triggers transition to the next dimension. Foundational parameter; SIM-003 attempts to derive it.
{2,3} organizing pair
The two integers that exclusively organize periodic crystal coordination. Every one of 133 ambient-pressure crystalline elements has coordination number that is a product of 2 and 3 only. Zero exceptions. {5} is forbidden by the crystallographic restriction theorem and the framework's cycle structure.
Cycle structure
Dimensions group into cycles of three (seed → flat → volumetric). Cycle 1 = dims 1, 2, 3. Cycle 2 = dims 4, 5, 6. Each cycle has its own recurrence engine; the cycle orders themselves are Fibonacci (2, 3, 5, 8, 13).

Recurrence engines

Each dimensional cycle is governed by a specific recurrence. Cycle order itself is Fibonacci, producing self-similarity at two levels.

Fibonacci recurrence (cycle 1)
The 2-term recurrence governing dims 1–3. Peak ratio at φ ≈ 1.618. Produces the cycle-1 framerates (0.250, 0.625, 1.000) and the {2,3,5} organizing set.
Tribonacci recurrence (cycle 2)
The 3-term recurrence governing dims 4–6. Peak ratio at τ ≈ 1.839 (root of x³ = x² + x + 1). Replaced the earlier Fibonacci-extrapolated values; gives correct cycle-2 c-values (1.707, 1.750, 1.839).
Pentanacci recurrence (cycle 3)
Predicted 5-term recurrence governing dims 7–9. Peak ratio ≈ 1.966. Should produce the next nuclear magic number (predicted 184). Detailed derivation pending.
Octanacci recurrence (cycle 4)
Predicted 8-term recurrence for dims 10–12. Peak ratio ≈ 1.996. Furthest-out cycle currently parameterized; pending detailed derivation.
Frustration overtone
When a cycle's recurrence runs against the organizing pair {2,3}, the resulting 'frustration' produces specific integer overtones. Cycle 1 produces {2,3,5}; cycle 2 produces {5,7,9,11,13}. These overtones explain nuclear magic numbers among other phenomena.

Dimensional dynamics

How dimensions interact, transition, and produce observable phenomena.

Framerate
The local speed of light at each dimension. At dim 3, framerate = c (the empirical speed of light). Cycle-1 framerates: 0.25c (1D), 0.625c (2D), 1.000c (3D). Cycle-2 uses different values via Tribonacci recurrence.
Dimensional boundary
The transition between dimensions, characterized by overflow and emergent phenomena. The 2D→3D boundary produces helium anomalies (~0.86 meV); 3D→4D produces pair production (1.022 MeV); 4D→5D produces cosmic-ray knee (~3 PeV).
Staging-quadratic capacity
The energy capacity per dimension: log₁₀(E/eV) = 0.1964·d² + 8.0932·d − 20.0373. Fits boundary energies to 0.14% across cycle 1. Emergent 8 Hz and 432 Hz frequencies are byproducts of this equation.
Chirality from framerate mismatch
Chirality (left-handed vs right-handed asymmetry in biomolecules and elementary particles) emerges from the framerate difference between consecutive dimensions, not from a separate axiom. Derived in Paper 1.

Cipher mechanics

How the cipher predicts crystal structure and material properties from atomic number alone.

Z (atomic number)
The single input to the cipher. Every property prediction derives from Z without external lookup, NIST cross-reference, or fitted parameters.
Coordination number (CN)
Number of nearest neighbors around each atom. The cipher derives CN from Z; observed CN values cluster on {2,3} products. Gallium's CN=7 is an anomaly that the framework explains via {7}-fold self-resonance.
Eigenvalue spectrum
Each coordination geometry has its own eigenvalue spectrum from the symmetry group's character table. BCC=9 eigenvalues, HCP=7, FCC=5, Diamond=1. Count = susceptibility (how readily the geometry resonates).
Spiral coordinate
The C_potential's internal geometry, on which electrons sit. v11/v12 uses an empirical Thomson/Fibonacci hybrid for seating; full self-derivation pending SIM-003 cone-cascade.
Snap / snap tunneling
The discontinuous transition between the pre-snap f-state (unfolding angle ~99°) and the post-snap |t-state (~109.5° tetrahedral) at percolation topology 1.29. The snap IS the tunneling event — same phenomenon read at different scales.
Bicone simultaneous derivation
v11/v12's mechanism that reads f-depth and |t-spread together (not sequentially) to produce the unfolding angle. Replaces v9's separate-stage derivation.
Triangle regression (v12)
v12's foundation: regression of a triangle (vertices at f, |t, r) onto its geometric primitives. Scale-indifferent (operates on ratios, not absolute values). The key change that gave v12 its 91/107 score over v11's 71/107.
C_potential
The geometric potential each electron sits in. Has both an external scalar (the bulk Coulomb-equivalent) and an internal topology (the spiral coordinate). The internal topology is what the cipher reads.

Geometric primitives

The 7 foundational expressions and the geometric language they generate.

The 7 expressions
Layer-(-1) foundational primitives: CONCENTRATE, DISTRIBUTE, RADIATE, POLARIZE, TRIANGULATE, CUBIFY, FRUSTRATE. Every geometric structure in the framework is a composition of these seven.
Joint 7-vector
When two geometries couple, the framework predicts a joint operator distinct from the sum of two independent 7-vectors. Test JJ Phase 1 is the empirical search.
Angular deficit
The geometric concentration ratio produced by cone-like or pinch geometries. Apex-bearing geometries (bicone, pyramid) amplify EM concentration via angular deficit. HPC-024 confirmed across 7 geometries.
Internal geometry / 7D fingerprint
Every cavity has two geometries: boundary (the wall shape) and internal (the standing-wave pattern). The internal geometry has a 7-component fingerprint (dominant mode, node spacing, anti-node concentration, Q-factor, ringdown, mode-coupling, overtone entropy).
{7}-fold self-resonance
Cavities with {7}-fold rotational symmetry are uniquely self-resonant at 2.7% error — all other tested n-fold cavities show 8–56% error. Foundation for the √7 structural factor in magic-numbers derivation.
Wigner-Seitz / void cavity
The framework's dual reading of crystal structure: atoms are the walls of internal cavities; the voids between atoms are the resonant cavities. Same partition as standard physics, opposite reading.

Methodology terminology

How experiments are designed, scored, and audited.

FDTD (Finite-Difference Time-Domain)
Numerical method for solving Maxwell's equations in 3D space + time. Used in all HPC-series tests. Grid resolution (64³, 96³, 128³, 256³) affects accuracy; resolution checks are standard.
Blind test
Prediction submitted in writing *before* the answer set is revealed. T1–T4 blind tests run March–April 2026; T4 scored 100% (24/24). The cleanest score of real predictive power.
Pre-registration
Locking confirmation and falsification thresholds before the experimental result is observed. Eliminates post-hoc threshold adjustment. Every framework prediction with a pending test gets one.
Decoh teeter-totter
A drive imbalance sweep where two coupled cavities are driven at asymmetric decoh ratios (e.g., 0.10/0.50 → 0.30/0.30 → 0.50/0.10). Tests for non-monotonic emergence signatures.
Cos-distance fingerprint
Comparing two spectra via cosine distance between their feature vectors. Used in Test JJ to measure whether a coupled-pair fingerprint differs materially from the sum of two single-cavity fingerprints.
Cycle-aware terrain (v12)
Cipher v12's approach: predict from the underlying geometric terrain *as-is*, no correction layers added. Replaced v9–v11's correction-layered approach.

Status taxonomy

What each entry status value means.

open
Active hypothesis, prediction, or research question. Awaiting empirical resolution. Most predictions land here at filing.
active
Ongoing work without a single binary outcome. Used for paper statuses and long-running mechanisms.
confirmed
Empirically validated, robust across tests. Multiple independent supports.
falsified
Empirically refuted. Failed prediction. Preserved with falsified tag — never deleted.
superseded
Earlier version replaced by a more complete or accurate later version. Preserved with stale-tag and pointer to the canonical version.

Discipline rules

The framework's intellectual-honesty discipline.

Refinement vs correction
Refinement: replacing a mechanism with a sharper one (cycle-specific Tribonacci replaced universal Fibonacci-extension). Correction: adding patches to an existing mechanism (forbidden — every attempt hurt accuracy).
No fitting
The framework forbids tuning parameters to fit observations. Predictions derive from axioms + geometry. When a prediction misses, the framework either accepts the miss or refines the mechanism — it does not adjust parameters to match.
No hiding
Failed predictions, falsified hypotheses, and honest no-decisions are published with the same prominence as confirmations. The audit trail IS the record.
Stale-tag protocol
Superseded documents are preserved with a visual stale banner pointing to the current version. Never silently rewritten.
Bidirectional cross-references
When entry A declares see_also: B, entry B's payload automatically lists A under cited_by. The graph is bidirectional in the data; no manual maintenance.