Reinterpreting ALMA Cycle 7 Spectral Normalization Errors as Vacuum Resonance Signatures

Abstract:

This research note examines the "Visibility Amplitude Calibration Error" identified in ALMA Cycle 7 observations (Band 7), specifically the artifacts arising from correlator spectral normalization. Current engineering documentation attributes these errors to an algorithmic limitation that leads to an "under-scaling" of flux values when observing bright targets with strong spectral lines.

We propose that these artifacts are not merely instrumental failures, but physical signatures of a vacuum resonance phenomenon. Under the framework of Unified Spin Theory (UST), we derive a fundamental "Grid Friction Frequency" (f_warp) based on the electron Compton frequency damped by the fine-structure constant (α⁴):

f_warp ≈ 344 GHz

This frequency falls within the ALMA Band 7 range (275–373 GHz). The model predicts that at this resonance, the vacuum impedance drops, creating a localized state of super-radiance. We demonstrate that the ALMA normalization logic—which relies on off-source System Temperature (Tsys) calibration—effectively filters out this resonance signature by interpreting the physical drop in vacuum impedance as an instrumental gain error.

Corroborating Evidence:

• Submillimeter Array (SMA): We present parallel findings from the SMA (Hawaii), where engineering logs identify "huge amplitudes" in the 344 GHz band requiring similar software suppression (renormalization), suggesting the phenomenon is global and instrument-agnostic.
• Photonics: We cite recent experimental data (Yu et al., 2016) achieving record-breaking wireless transmission rates in the 300–500 GHz window, consistent with the predicted reduction in vacuum propagation resistance at this harmonic.

We urge the community to examine the raw, unnormalized autocorrelation data for Cycle 7 projects at 344 GHz, specifically looking for instances where the renormalization factor exceeded 2%.