Research Roadmap

What This Roadmap Is (and Is Not)

This roadmap describes research maturity, not promises or predictions. It maps the current state of Cohesion Dynamics development across active research tracks, explicitly marking what exists, what is being developed, and what remains exploratory.

Key Principles

Items are ordered by mechanism readiness, not importance
Inclusion ≠ correctness; exclusion ≠ impossibility
This is a scientific execution map, not a marketing document
Maturity levels are honestly signalled and regularly updated

Relationship to Other Pages

Motivating Tensions → Why problems exist (external pressures)
Research Roadmap (this page) → What CD is doing about them (internal execution)
Research Programme → How the work is organised (series structure)
Papers → Where the technical details live (formal derivations)

1. Active & Near-Term (High Readiness)

These tracks have clear mechanisms, existing papers or drafts, and near-term publishability.

Dark Matter Halo Core Saturation

Mechanism: CD predicts constant-density cores emerge from boundary-limited reconciliation saturation. CIU reconciliation capacity saturates at halo centers where closure demand exceeds availability. The scaling r_core ∝ √M_halo produces universal surface density Σ₀ ≈ 140 M☉/pc² automatically.

What CD contributes that standard models do not:

Natural explanation for universal surface density without fine-tuning
Cores emerge from substrate properties, not feedback processes
Quantitative predictions already validated against SPARC rotation curves

Current status:

✅ Mechanism formalized in M-series (Mismatch & Anchoring)
✅ Predictions documented in P-DM1
✅ Validation against SPARC data in R-PRED-DM1
🔄 Generalized saturation mechanism (M-SAT-GEN) in planning — includes formal treatment of how ℏ enters saturation conditions as empirical threshold parameter
🔄 Extension to specific dwarf spheroidals in progress
🔄 Ultra-diffuse galaxy predictions being developed

Linked papers: M1 - Mismatch & Anchoring, P-DM1 - Core Formation, R-PRED-DM1 - Rotation Curves

Supporting conceptual framework: Why Quantisation Exists — establishes why discrete thresholds are structurally necessary

Rotation Curve Diversity from Constraint Topology

Mechanism: Galaxies with identical V_max show factor 2-5 scatter in inner rotation curve shapes. CD explains this through varying constraint configurations—different assembly histories create different constraint topologies, yielding different saturation patterns at the same total mass.

What CD contributes that standard models do not:

Natural diversity without requiring fine-tuned feedback efficiency
Formation history encoded in constraint network structure
Explains why V_max alone is insufficient to predict profile shape

Current status:

✅ Conceptual mechanism identified (constraint topology variation)
⚠️ Quantitative diversity distribution not yet computed
🔄 Modeling how constraint configurations map to rotation curve shapes

Linked papers: M-DM1 - Dark Matter Mechanism, A-NET - Network Semantics

Quantum Measurement & Closure-Triggered Commitment

Mechanism: CD’s closure events provide a natural collapse mechanism. Superposition exists within branching admissible states until closure constraints require commitment. The “when” of collapse is answered: when admissibility constraints force commitment.

What CD contributes that standard models do not:

Collapse mechanism is structurally determined, not ad hoc
Addresses the “problem of outcomes” (why single results occur)
Wigner’s friend paradox resolves through epistemic closure boundaries
Decoherence prepares; closure commits

Current status:

✅ Closure event framework established in A-OPS/A-NET
✅ Conceptual resolution to measurement problem documented
✅ Conceptual guide on quantisation thresholds establishes why discrete events are structurally necessary
⚠️ Born rule derivation from branching geometry in progress
🔄 Mathematical demonstration of closure → Born statistics needed

Linked papers: A-OPS - Operational Substrate, A-NET - Network Semantics, B-series - Structural Consequences

Supporting conceptual framework: Why Quantisation Exists — explains why discrete thresholds must exist for events and propagation, distinguishing branching, deferred mismatch, and forced commitment

Boundary Formation & Constraint Saturation

Mechanism: Boundaries form automatically when consistency cannot be maintained across regions. Dark matter-like effects arise from boundary-trapped mismatch. Black hole horizons emerge as constraint saturation boundaries.

What CD contributes that standard models do not:

Unified framework for diverse boundary phenomena
Boundaries emerge from substrate dynamics, not imposed
Natural explanation for why certain structures are bounded

Current status:

✅ Boundary formation formalized in B-series and M-series
✅ Dark matter boundary interpretation established
🔄 Black hole horizon modeling in development
🔄 Extension to cosmological horizons planned

Linked papers: B4 - Boundaries, M1 - Mismatch, G-series planned

2. Medium-Term (Mechanism Partially Developed)

These tracks have clear conceptual alignment but incomplete formalism or empirical paths.

Spacetime Emergence from Reconciliation Delay

Mechanism: Distance emerges from reconciliation delay between CIUs. Geometry emerges from distance consistency failures. Curvature represents structural tension in the constraint network.

What is missing:

Derivation of metric properties (Lorentzian signature, 3+1 dimensions)
Demonstration that CD produces observed geometric properties
Connection to GR in semiclassical limit

Which series would need extension: G-series (Geometry and Gravity) requires substantial development

Current status:

✅ Conceptual framework established (distance = reconciliation delay)
⚠️ Geometric properties not yet formally derived
🔄 G-series papers in early development

Linked papers: A-OPS, G-series (planned)

Problem of Time Dissolution

Mechanism: Time emerges from closure-cycle ordering. No background time assumed. Wheeler-DeWitt “frozen formalism” never arises because substrate doesn’t presuppose time.

What is missing:

Formal proof that closure ordering satisfies time properties (transitivity, asymmetry)
Derivation of proper time from closure density
Recovery of standard QM time parameter in semiclassical limit

Which series would need extension: Q-series (Quantum Recovery) and G-series (time emergence)

Current status:

✅ Conceptual dissolution identified
⚠️ Formal demonstration of temporal properties needed
🔄 Q-series framework under development

Linked papers: A-series, Q-series (planned)

Hubble Tension from Epoch-Dependent Closure Availability

Mechanism: If gravity emerges from closure availability gradients, cosmic expansion dynamics could differ at early versus late times. Closure availability may scale differently at recombination versus present day.

What is missing:

Full CD cosmological solution
Computation of H₀ from closure dynamics at both epochs
Sound horizon calculation at recombination from CD

Which series would need extension: G-series (gravity) and Cosmological series (planned)

Current status:

⚠️ Conceptual mechanism identified
❌ CD cosmology not yet developed sufficiently
🔄 Awaiting G-series completion

Linked papers: G-series (planned), Cosmological series (planned)

Black Hole Information Preservation

Mechanism: In discrete substrate, information is structurally encoded in constraint relationships—cannot be destroyed, only redistributed. Evaporation = constraint reconfiguration. Island formula success reflects discrete structure.

What is missing:

Detailed black hole model in CD framework
Demonstration that Hawking-like radiation carries constraint information
Derivation of Page curve from CD dynamics

Which series would need extension: G-series (black hole geometry)

Current status:

✅ Conceptual framework (constraint information preservation)
⚠️ Black hole horizon formation from constraint saturation needs modeling
🔄 G-series black hole work in planning

Linked papers: A-NET, G-series (planned)

Early Universe Structure Formation (JWST Tensions)

Mechanism: Structure emerges when consistency constraints reach saturation thresholds. If early conditions rapidly approached closure saturation limits, large-scale structures could form faster than hierarchical assembly predicts.

What is missing:

CD cosmological solution for early universe
Quantitative predictions for structure formation timescales
Connection to observed galaxy properties at z > 10

Which series would need extension: G-series (gravity), Cosmological series (planned)

Current status:

⚠️ Conceptual mechanisms identified (constraint-driven formation)
❌ Early-universe CD cosmology not developed
🔄 Awaiting cosmological series development

Linked papers: Cosmological series (planned)

3. Long-Term / Exploratory

These are plausible within CD but not yet constrained enough for formal publication.

Dark Energy Reinterpretation

Exploratory idea: Dark energy as globally present mismatch that cannot anchor locally. Acceleration as structural bias toward expansion as consistency mechanism.

Why exploratory:

No quantitative derivation of Λ value from constraint structure
Cosmological constant problem requires full cosmological development
Connection to DESI evolution hints speculative

Status: Conceptual framework only; awaiting G-series and cosmological series

S8 Matter Clustering Suppression

Exploratory idea: Scale-dependent growth from closure availability decreasing with structure complexity. Late-time growth naturally suppressed.

Why exploratory:

KiDS-Legacy largely resolved observational tension (0.73σ)
Would require very precise CD predictions
Linear perturbation theory from CD not yet developed

Status: Lower priority given observational resolution

CMB Anomalies from Constraint Topology

Exploratory idea: Discrete substrate with anisotropic constraint structure could imprint non-Gaussian features on primordial perturbations.

Why exploratory:

Requires CD early-universe cosmology (not developed)
Primordial perturbation theory from CD very challenging
Statistical significance of anomalies debated

Status: Long-term; requires extensive preliminary work

4. Explicit Non-Goals

CD is not currently trying to:

Replace ΛCDM wholesale — CD addresses specific tensions where emergent gravity offers new perspectives
Derive precise cosmological parameters — Focus is on mechanism explanation, not parameter fitting
Offer a Theory of Everything — CD is a substrate framework for emergent physics, not a complete theory
Compete with every alternative gravity model — CD complements rather than replaces specialized approaches
Explain all quantum foundations simultaneously — Progress is incremental across measurement, Born rule, decoherence
Resolve all dark matter phenomenology — Core-cusp and diversity are prioritized; other small-scale problems follow

Why These Boundaries Matter

Setting explicit non-goals protects credibility and focus. CD’s value lies in structural insights for specific tensions, not comprehensive replacement of established physics.

5. Maturity Level Key

✅ Complete/Published — Formal derivation exists, documented in papers
🔄 Active Development — Work in progress, drafts exist or imminent
⚠️ Conceptual Framework — Mechanism identified, formalism incomplete
❌ Not Yet Developed — Recognized need, awaiting prerequisite work
🔬 Exploratory — Plausible but speculative, not publication-ready

6. How This Roadmap Evolves

This page is updated regularly as research progresses:

Items move between maturity tiers as development proceeds
New tensions from observations may be added
Items may be deprioritized or removed based on empirical results
Explicit non-goals may expand as scope clarifies

Last updated: December 2024

Next review: As major papers (G-series, Q-series) reach publication readiness

Contributing to This Work

Cohesion Dynamics is an open research programme. If you’re interested in contributing:

Formal development: Contact regarding specific series (B, G, M, Q)
Empirical testing: Rotation curve analysis, structure formation predictions
Computational work: Substrate simulations, constraint network modeling

See Contact for engagement options.