The Zero Entropy Framework (ZEF): A Pre-Geometric Order-Parameter Approach to Emergent Spacetime, Matter, and the Dark Sector (v1.0)

The Zero Entropy Framework (ZEF): A Pre-Geometric Order-Parameter Approach to Emergent Spacetime, Matter, and the Dark Sector (v1.0) This work introduces the Zero Entropy Framework (ZEF), a theoretical program in which spacetime, geometry, and matter are treated as emergent effective descriptions arising from bounded departures from a foundational, uniform substrate referred to as the Zero Entropy Field. The framework is explicitly pre-geometric: spacetime quantities appear only within an emergent bookkeeping regime and are not assumed to be fundamental. Version v1.0 establishes a minimal and disciplined scaffold, including: The ZEF Deformation Index (ZDI), a dimensionless bounded order parameter (0≤ϕ