In modern physics, the unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics, the origin of the constancy of light speed, the nature of mass, and the microscopic mechanism of gravity remain fundamental open questions. This paper proposes a theoretical framework based on discrete spacetime elements. It assumes that space is composed of indivisible "spatial shells" and that matter and energy consist of identical "minimum energy units" which possess intrinsic chirality (left-handed carries positive charge, right-handed carries negative charge, non-chiral carries no charge). Within this framework, the speed of light is derived as the ratio of the fixed shell scale to the characteristic time for a free energy unit to traverse a shell. Mass is interpreted as the macroscopic manifestation of the degree of confinement of energy units inside a shell (measured by the probability of failing to penetrate), yielding the mass–velocity relation m=m0(1−v2/c2). Total energy is conserved and naturally splits into free motion energy and binding energy. Momentum emerges from the conservation of microscopic direction vectors, and through statistical mechanics the theory reduces to classical kinetic energy in the low-speed limit. Time dilation is explained as an apparent effect caused by the reduced effective penetration frequency in moving objects, exactly reproducing the γ factor of special relativity. Gravity is interpreted as a geometric effect of shell deformation, leading to field equations and a prediction of non-singular black holes. Electromagnetic interactions arise naturally from the coupling of chiral energy units to a gauge field, with a geometric interpretation of electric field adjusting the rotation angle of energy units. The theory is parsimonious, internally consistent, and yields several testable predictions, including a novel photo-induced transient mass effect. It offers a possible path toward a unified foundation of physics.
Hua Mu (2026) studied this question.