The Neutron as a Neutralized Protonic Resonance Node

This preprint develops a geometric–resonance model of the neutron within the broader 4D Resonance Field Framework. In this formulation, the neutron is interpreted not as a composite of confined quarks, but as a neutralized protonic resonance node whose stability arises from harmonic lateral-mode cancellation inside a shared self-coherence (SC) envelope. The model provides a structural explanation for three central neutron phenomena: Neutrality without loss of mass amplitudeThe neutron’s absence of electromagnetic charge emerges from exact cancellation of lateral curvature modes, while its radial resonance depth—and therefore mass—remains intact. Environment-dependent stabilityFree neutrons decay only when external fields reflect lateral curvature back into the core.In true vacuum, the neutral configuration remains stable; in electromagnetic traps, curvature stress induces β-decay; inside nuclei, protonic curvature provides stabilizing outward anchoring. Beta decay as a forced mode transitionβ-decay is reinterpreted as a geometric collapse of the neutral mode into the asymmetric protonic eigenmode, with the bound electron-mode and neutrino-mode nodes expelled as the β-electron and antineutrino. The framework reproduces all experimentally established phenomenology—neutron magnetic moment, free vs. bound lifetime, continuous β-spectrum—while providing a coherent geometric origin for these features. It also predicts testable deviations from the Standard Model, including enhanced neutron longevity in deep vacuum and curvature-dependent lifetime variations in electromagnetic traps. This work extends the foundational resonance-operator and field-depth formalisms developed in: Nilsson (2025a): The Zeta Resonance Operator – Toward a Spectral–Analytic Proof of the Riemann Hypothesis Nilsson (2025b): Field-Depth as a Fourth Resonance Dimension in Spatial Wave Structure Together, these form the underlying mathematical basis for interpreting particle-like entities as coherent standing-wave nodes in a four-dimensional resonance field. The neutron therefore represents the first fully solvable multi-node configuration within this framework and serves as a gateway toward a geometric interpretation of nuclear structure, weak interactions, and the dynamical behavior of resonance-driven matter. Related Work The Electron as a Standing Field-Depth Resonance Node https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17594249 The Origin and Function of Gravity and Towards a Proof of Yang-Mills DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17842418