A Transient High-Energy Plasma Model for the Non-Gravitational Acceleration of Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS with Quantitative Multi-Band Predictions

A minimal, purely physical model is proposed to explain the observed non-gravitational acceleration of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS (1I/‘Oumuamua) without invoking cometary outgassing or exotic origins. Recurrent directional releases of relativistic plasma from a localised extreme environment (T ≳ 10⁹ K, energy density 10³²–10³³ J m⁻³) produce the required thrust via ∼10⁴–10⁶ microsecond-to-nanosecond bursts during the 2017–2018 perihelion passage. The same high-temperature episodes inevitably generate a strong ⁶²Ni equilibrium peak and, upon microsecond-scale quenching, favour formation of cyanide-bearing molecules (HCN, CN) due to the uniquely stable C≡N bond.Four sharp, falsifiable, multi-band predictions are derived:1. recurrent hard X-ray pulses (10–100 keV) with FWHM < 1 ns;2. characteristic emission lines at Ni Kα (7.48 keV) and Fe Kα (6.40 keV);3. transient molecular features at 4.5 μm (HCN) and 387 nm (CN);4. strict < 1 ms temporal correlation between ∆v impulses and X-ray pulses.All signatures are within reach of existing (Chandra, NuSTAR, JWST) and near-future (HEX-P, Arcus) facilities. 3I/ATLAS will return to ∼40 AU in 2031–2033 while remaining observable (V ∼ 27 mag) with Chandra/HETGS. Detection of even a single sub-nanosecond synchronised X-ray pulse would exclude all conventional cometary and radiation-pressure models at > 10σ confidence.