Algebraic Derivation of the Strong Coupling Constant from M3(C) Structure

The strong coupling constant αs has resisted parameter-free derivation within the Standard Model framework, where its value at the Z-boson scale, αs(MZ) = 0.11810 ± 0.00011, is determined solely by experiment. This paper derives, from the axioms of Cognitional Mechanics (CM) and the algebraic structure of M3(C) alone, a Tier-2 spectral invariant αs⁻¹ = Φ₆(2Φ₃−n)/(2πn) − Φ₁/n³ = 161/(6π) − 2/27, where Φk(n) denote the cyclotomic invariants of M3(C) at n = 3. This invariant is scale-independent by construction; its numerical value αs(CM) = 0.118104 coincides with the experimentally observed αs(MZ) to a residual of 0.003%, within current experimental uncertainty. The derivation is zero-parameter: all factors emerge from the A1–A3 axioms without empirical input. The main term arises from the Cartan-torus phase volume (A2) and the A3 weighted-mean cyclotomic capacity. The correction term is the unique adjoint-representation spectral invariant Φ₁⟨H²⟩adj/(⟨H⁴⟩adj·n²), whose negative sign reflects the asymptotic freedom inherent in the non-commutative over-interference of the adjoint action (A1). Together with the prior CM derivations of α, μ, and αG, this result establishes the complete set of dimensionless coupling constants of the Standard Model as Tier-2 structural invariants of M3(C).