Triadic Carriers of Conserved Quantum Numbers: Reading the STAR Baryon-Junction Discovery through the Triality Framework

The landmark 2026 measurements by the STAR Collaboration at RHIC (arXiv:2408.15441) report measurements disfavoring valence quarks as the primary carriers of baryon number, favoring instead the topological Y-shaped gluonic baryon junction. This paper presents a formal geometric reading of these measurements through the Triality Framework, an independent paradigm where conserved quantum numbers reside at central junction nodes rather than peripheral constituents. By treating the baryon junction as a rigid geometric object governed by a 120-degree Fermat-point equilibrium and a confinement-scale radius (R_j ~ 1 fm), this framework provides quantitative, falsifiable predictions that diverge cleanly from standard Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Most notably, while lattice QCD predicts a smooth analytic crossover at the deconfinement temperature (Tc ≈ 155 MeV), the Triality Framework predicts a sharp geometric event in junction-sensitive transport observables (αB and baryon-vs-charge ratios) across the RHIC Beam Energy Scan (BES) regime. Additionally, a quantified Gaussian pT² scaling law with a fixed geometric slope (B_geo ~ 6 GeV⁻²), valid in the soft non-perturbative regime (pT ≲ 1 GeV), is established for future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) kinematics. This work demonstrates how topological triad stability maps onto established lattice Y-ansatz configurations and holographic viscosity bounds (η/s), offering a verifiable alternative framework for hadron structure and baryon transport.