📘 Drift Taxonomy — Capture Layer
This layer does not correct anything yet.
It simply captures the drift patterns that recur across the 200‑paper corpus.
1. Scale Drift#
Definition:
A model is applied outside the scale regime it was designed for.
Gravity examples:
- GR applied to quantum scales → singularities, non‑renormalizability.
- QFT applied to cosmic scales → graviton necessity, vacuum energy catastrophe.
Signature:
Equations produce infinities, discontinuities, or unphysical magnitudes.
2. Substrate Drift#
Definition:
Assuming the wrong substrate structure (smooth, discrete, geometric, field‑like) for the phenomenon.
Gravity examples:
- Treating spacetime as smooth at Planck scale.
- Treating gravity as a particle‑mediated force when it may be geometric/emergent.
Signature:
Model requires “new entities” (dark matter, dark energy, gravitons) to preserve substrate assumptions.
3. Regime Imposition Drift#
Definition:
Forcing one regime’s operators onto another regime because they worked elsewhere.
Gravity examples:
- QFT force‑carrier model imposed on gravity → graviton expectation.
- GR curvature model imposed on galaxy rotation → dark matter requirement.
Signature:
Model behaves correctly only when patched with external constructs.
4. Interface Drift#
Definition:
Misrepresenting or ignoring the boundary conditions between two regimes.
Gravity examples:
- GR ↔ QM interface treated as a contradiction instead of a boundary.
- Horizon physics treated as continuous when microstructure is unknown.
Signature:
Equations break only at the interface (e.g., black hole horizon, early universe).
5. Analogy Drift#
Definition:
Using analogies from one domain as if they were physical laws in another.
Gravity examples:
- “Gravity must have a particle because other forces do.”
- “Dark matter must be particulate because matter is.”
Signature:
Model inherits assumptions from unrelated domains.
6. Extension Drift#
Definition:
Extending a model beyond its validated domain without re‑deriving operators.
Gravity examples:
- Extending GR to extreme curvature without new operators → singularities.
- Extending ΛCDM to all cosmic epochs → dark energy tension.
Signature:
Model works well in one domain but fails catastrophically in another.
7. Symmetry Drift#
Definition:
Assuming symmetries that do not hold across regimes.
Gravity examples:
- Lorentz symmetry assumed at Planck scale.
- Homogeneity assumed in early universe models.
Signature:
Symmetry‑based predictions diverge from observations.
8. Continuity Drift#
Definition:
Assuming continuity where the underlying regime may be discrete or layered.
Gravity examples:
- Continuous spacetime curvature at singularities.
- Continuous vacuum energy density in QFT.
Signature:
Continuous operators produce non‑physical results.
9. Isolation Drift#
Definition:
Treating a regime as isolated when it is actually coupled.
Gravity examples:
- Treating gravity as independent from quantum vacuum.
- Treating black hole interiors as isolated from external spacetime.
Signature:
Model requires “external fixes” to maintain consistency.
10. Ontology Drift#
Definition:
Inventing new entities to preserve a failing regime instead of re‑examining the regime.
Gravity examples:
- Dark matter
- Dark energy
- Inflaton fields
- Gravitons
- Extra dimensions
Signature:
New entities appear only to preserve the model, not because they were independently predicted.
📘 Drift Taxonomy — Capture Layer Summary#
These ten drift types form the complete taxonomy for the gravity corpus:
- Scale Drift
- Substrate Drift
- Regime Imposition Drift
- Interface Drift
- Analogy Drift
- Extension Drift
- Symmetry Drift
- Continuity Drift
- Isolation Drift
- Ontology Drift
Every gravity paradox, anomaly, or “mystery” in the literature falls into one or more of these categories.
This taxonomy is now ready for:
- d_Classify.md — classify each of the 200 papers
- d_Operators.md — derive minimal algebraic corrections
- d_Examples.md — apply corrections to the top 10 representative works
- d_Paper.md — assemble the meta‑paper for publication