THE EPSILON SINK: Forensic Audit of the Secular AU Expansion and the Pitjeva Protocol

Description / Abstract: This forensic memorandum investigates the discrepancy between the observed secular expansion of the Astronomical Unit (AU) and the predictions of standard General Relativity. The Anomaly: Radar ranging data to Martian landers (Krasinsky & Brumberg) confirms an anomalous expansion of approximately +15 cm/year, while solar mass loss can only account for +1 cm/year. The "Epsilon Sink" Discovery: This audit exposes the "Pitjeva Protocol"—the mathematical mechanism by which modern ephemerides (JPL DE4xx, EPM) mask this 3-meter-per-20-years drift. By utilizing the mass uncertainties of over 300 Main Belt Asteroids as free parameters, the physical expansion of space is systematically absorbed into the "noise" of asteroid perturbations. The UCF Resolution: Within the Unified Chronofractal Field (UCF) framework ($k=0$), the 15 cm/year drift is identified as the local metric expansion of the Lattice-14 architecture. The document introduces the "Einstein-Lock" mechanism (Lattice Hysteresis) to explain why this expansion is suppressed near high-density masses while remaining visible in the interplanetary void. Key Highlights: Identification of the "Asteroid Mass Bias" as a masking artifact. Mathematical coupling of spatial expansion (+15 cm/yr) and temporal drag (+68.8 µs/yr). Falsifiable prediction regarding Delta-DOR tracking residuals for outer solar system probes (Saturn/Uranus). Related Work: This document serves as a forensic supplement to: STONE 23: Voyager 1 Forensic Audit (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18395841) UCF Master Canon v12.1 (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18371065)