A Local Scale–Filtered Interface for Atomic Short–Range Effects

This work presents a geometric and elastic interpretation of atomic short-range effects within the Methane Metauniverse (MMU) framework. Atomic binding, hyperfine structure, and the Lamb shift are shown to arise from a local overlap region between interacting cells (S-node), interpreted as a real, finite spacetime deformation rather than a point-like interaction. A scale-filtered interface is proven to be necessary by muonic hydrogen data, excluding contact-type couplings. The reduced mass is identified as the effective inertia of the collective local deformation, providing a unified physical interpretation of binding energy and short-range corrections. The approach does not replace standard quantum electrodynamics but offers an ontological explanation for why its precision results remain finite and stable. The analysis is restricted to hydrogenic two-body systems and provides clear experimental kill tests for falsification.