Mass, Gravity, and Atomic Structure from the Geometry of Null Orientation Fields

This work presents a minimal geometric framework in which mass, proper time, gravitation, and atomic structure emerge from the collective organization of null orientations in Minkowski spacetime. Starting from the assumption that physical realization is fundamentally lightlike, the theory considers configurations of null vectors whose non-collinear combination produces a timelike resultant. The invariant magnitude of this resultant defines mass through m²c² = R^μR_μ, while simultaneously generating a natural proper-time parameter. Quantum phase evolution follows directly from this proper-time structure, linking relativistic and quantum behavior within a single geometric principle. Spatial variations in the realization depth lead to an effective acceleration field whose weak-field limit reproduces Newtonian gravitation. Stable particles correspond to spatially closed configurations of null orientations, and rotational degrees of freedom of these closures give rise to spin. Interactions between configurations of differing realization depth produce bound systems, with quantization emerging from phase closure conditions. The framework suggests that mass is not a fundamental property but a collective invariant arising from correlations between underlying null directions. Gravitation, quantum phase, and atomic structure are thus unified as manifestations of the same geometric mechanism. Additionally, the work explores the possibility of a global temporal organization of spacetime, characterized by a weak universal frequency scale, which may act as a long-term coherence constraint on physical systems. Overall, the paper proposes a unified and minimal reinterpretation of fundamental physics, in which all key phenomena emerge from the closure and organization of null orientation fields.