Companion E: Symmetry Layering and Defect Operations in Elastic Diffusive Cosmology (EDC)

This companion paper formalizes the symmetry structure and topological operations used across the EDC program, providing definitions that Paper 3 can cite without repeating foundations. It presents a layered symmetry description acting on the 5D manifold M_5 = M_4 × S^1_ξ: kinematic diffeomorphism invariance on the 4D base and an internal U(1) isometry of the compact dimension generating charge/winding conservation. It defines three topological process operators—Excitation (E), Relaxation (R), and Merging (M)—used as formal handles for generation transitions, weak decay, and nuclear binding. A β⁻ decay conservation ledger is included to demonstrate how topological constraints require a neutral channel, identified in 4D evidence language with the antineutrino.Scope guardrails: the paper does not claim a full derivation from first principles, does not replace Standard Model phenomenology, and does not prove operator dynamics from the 5D action; it provides consistent definitions, epistemic tagging, and falsifiability hooks.