The questions below are proposed study designs, not reported discoveries. Their variables, scale and decision thresholds must be fixed for the chosen dataset before results are interpreted.
Wake
Does structure follow a trajectory?
Test whether a downstream pattern has a repeatable geometry, delay and decay relative to a moving source or flow.
Compare: an advected disturbance, background gradients and sampling along a changing trajectory. Vary the alignment and use control intervals.
Discriminator: a predicted spatial and temporal pattern that persists in held-out intervals and cannot be reproduced by the baseline. A pattern that disappears after alignment correction weakens the wake interpretation.
Boundary
Is a transition a physical interface?
Map candidate changes in field, density, temperature, velocity or pressure with their location and uncertainty.
Compare: a sharp interface, a continuous gradient, temporal variability and an instrument change. Separate a moving boundary from a spacecraft crossing.
Discriminator: coordinated transitions in independently measured quantities at compatible times. Sensitivity to one arbitrary threshold must remain visible.
Field
Does field geometry predict the pattern?
Preserve vector direction, magnitude and reference frame. Ask whether a declared field model predicts orientation or coupling beyond a scalar correlation.
Compare: alternative field configurations, frame transformations and calibration uncertainty.
Discriminator: an orientation-dependent signature predicted before fitting the evaluation interval. A coordinate-dependent effect that vanishes in a consistent frame weakens the proposed mechanism.
Plasma
Can measured plasma behaviour explain it?
Relate density, temperature, velocity, shear and pressure using an explicit physical model with units and a declared regime of applicability.
Compare: plausible plasma models and their resolution limits before introducing an additional latent component.
Discriminator: predictions across several observables, rather than a fit to one trace. If a baseline plasma explanation accounts for the structure within uncertainty, additional complexity needs new evidence.
Retention
Does a state retain a measurable history?
Test how long a structure or response remains after its driving condition changes. Define the retained quantity and its expected relaxation time.
Compare: continuing input, transport delay, ordinary relaxation and data-processing memory. Keep physical retention distinct from an archive retaining records.
Discriminator: a predicted persistence or hysteresis curve under changing conditions. Failure under realistic density or coupling assumptions would weaken this branch.
Mirror-layer
What would a mirror-like relation predict?
First define “mirror”: a geometric correspondence, a field relation, or another explicit transformation. The supplied sector contract names this hypothesis family without fixing one calibrated physical model.
Compare: ordinary symmetry, projection, shared forcing and processing artifacts. Specify which observable should be paired, reversed or delayed before searching for a match.
Discriminator: a preregistered relation that succeeds on independent observations and fails under appropriate controls. Visual resemblance alone is insufficient.