Closed Nucleus Theory: A Research Program in Reproduction Physics

This paper presents Closed Nucleus Theory (CNT) as a research programme within 
Reproduction Physics — a paradigm that inverts the ontological ordering of 
general relativity: curvature is prior, mass is the emergent readout of energy 
quanta bound within geometric structures called closed nuclei.

CNT is developed as a strong construction of the Reproduction Physics paradigm. 
The covariant spin-foam formulation of Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG), whose EPRL 
vertex amplitude rests on the same 4-simplex geometry that CNT identifies as 
the minimal closed nucleus, is recognized as an independent weak construction 
within the same paradigm. This explicit identification is made to broaden 
discoverability and invite engagement from the LQG community.

Keywords: Reproduction Physics, Closed Nucleus Theory, Loop Quantum Gravity, 
Spin Foam Models, ontological inversion, mass emergence, p-adic numbers, 
holographic principle, quantum gravity, spacetime excitation, dark matter.

Classification: Theoretical Physics, Quantum Gravity, Loop Quantum Gravity, 
Spin Foam Models, Foundations of Physics, Cosmology, Emergent Gravity.

Status: Research programme, not a completed theory. All 13 open gaps are 
explicitly labeled and graded by severity.