The Stratoverso Framework: A Speculative Ontological Extension of Scalar Field Cosmology

This preprint presents the full speculative and ontological vision of the Stratoverso Framework, the conceptual foundation that accompanies the companion technical paper focused on the rigorous mathematical derivation within General Relativity (Berti 2026a, Zenodo 10.5281/zenodo.20266625). We describe the cosmos as a discrete 140-layer stratified manifold traversed by the “Universal Train” (the ontological bulk) that moves sequentially from Layer 140 to Layer 0. The external boundary is defined by the ontological null-condition 0 = V × S × T. The geometry evolves from an initial spherical topology in Layer 140 to a toroidal topology in all subsequent layers, naturally divided into expansion, stasis, and compression zones. Black holes are interpreted as inter-layer conduits that pre-fertilize the successor layer. The full cycle lasts approximately 2000 billion years, with each layer having an average transit time of ~14 billion years. Our observable universe, currently in Layer 137 and 13.8 billion years old, is approaching the end of the compression phase with roughly 200 million years remaining before the transition to Layer 136. This work is explicitly speculative and ontological. It does not replace the mathematical framework but provides the broader conceptual and philosophical picture that motivated the entire research program. It is released alongside the technical paper to offer a complete view of the underlying vision. Keywords: Stratoverso, ontological cosmology, scalar field cosmology, toroidal geometry, discrete layers, Universal Train, speculative cosmology, dark energy, inter-layer information transfer. This is the speculative companion paper to the technical version (Zenodo 10.5281/zenodo.19128355).