A Covariance-Aware ECSM Boundary-Response Test of KiDS-1000 Galaxy--Galaxy Lensing Bandpowers

This work presents a covariance-aware boundary-response test of the Emergent Condensate/Superfluid Medium (ECSM) framework using the KiDS-1000 PneE galaxy--galaxy lensing bandpower vector, interpreted as an E-mode galaxy--kappa observable. The analysis uses 80 bandpower points across two lens bins, five source bins, and eight multipole bins, with the supplied KiDS covariance matrix. A smooth power-law continuum, a geometry-only control, a null model, and a finite-response ECSM boundary registry model are compared. The final low-RAM V3c notebook avoids the earlier memory issue by streaming the nested boundary scan rather than storing all trial templates. The selected boundary-response model improves the full-data covariance-aware fit relative to the smooth control and shows transfer in held-out source-bin and lens-bin validation. The result is interpreted conservatively as a boundary-response shape/transfer test, not as a final first-principles baryonic-driver ECSM weak-lensing prediction and not as a full replacement for a ΛCDM/dark-matter likelihood analysis.