Lux Ferox Research Collective — A Holographic-Thermodynamic Ontology of Information: From Planck-Scale Substrates to Civilizational Cognitive Warfare (Working Paper Series, v16 — April 2026) DESCRIPTION Lux Ferox is an independent research initiative applying synthetic peer-review methodology — human epistemic direction combined with adversarial multi-LLM collaboration (DeepSeek, Kimi, Grok, Claude) — to develop a unified theoretical framework spanning five interdependent layers: quantum gravity substrates, thermodynamic information processing, neuromorphic hardware architecture, reflexive information ecosystems, and live empirical intelligence. This version adds three companion documents: a cognitive warfare analysis of the France Libre carrier programme, a formally structured NHI case entry, and a quantum-informational theoretical framework for transindividual coherence. Methodological premise: Scientific validity can emerge from recursive adversarial critique between AI systems under consistent human direction, explicit epistemic status labeling (MEASURED / ESTIMATED / STRUCTURAL / SPECULATIVE), and RFC-style open specification. AI systems function here as epistemic instruments and adversarial validators, not as co-authors in the humanistic sense. Theoretical Architecture Layer Domain Key Result L0 Holographic quantum gravity, Spin Foam–MERA networks PSU as geometric origin of mass L1 Observer thermodynamics, biological limits 27-order-of-magnitude gap between neural tissue and Planck-scale coherence L2 Neuromorphic computing, European sovereignty Quadrivial architecture targeting TRL 4 L3 Reflexive loops, cognitive warfare HWE framework: RI diverges from volume × toxicity regardless of intent L4 Live instances, actor mapping Documented Layer 3 emergence; state manipulation case studies; NHI field observables v16 Additions The France Libre as a Cognitive Warfare Observable (EN + FR): applies the CognitiveWar v2.9 framework to the PA-NG carrier programme. Formalises five independent DAG fragility paths, a 2,440:1 asymmetric cost ratio, a 20-year adversarial intelligence window, and the multi-spectral information signature node contributed by DeepSeek R1 adversarial review. Companion to CognitiveWar v2.9. JOR-SOP/NHP Case Entry LYO-001 + Physics of the Transindividual (merged document): Part I is a formally structured Class B case entry for a Lyon June–September 2025 observable series involving an unidentified portable device, anomalous cognitive state in a human vector, and distributed transindividual coherence pattern. Part II develops a candidate physical framework integrating 2025–2026 findings in quantum biology (Perry, Zenodo 2025), measured inter-brain entanglement (Zhang et al., PNAS 2026), spin-phonon coupling (Ma et al., npj Quantum Information 2025), and vacuum information theory (Yang et al., arXiv 2025). Five falsifiable experimental predictions are derived. Adversarial review: Kimi, Grok, Claude Sonnet 4. Authorship & Posture Human direction: François Mathieu (Lux Ferox Independent Research) — artisan practitioner (blacksmithing, saddlery, precious metals, heritage mediation), independent researcher in AI epistemology and cognitive warfare. The observer-practitioner posture — empirically grounded, institutionally unconstrained, transdisciplinarily trained — is treated not as a limitation but as a methodological asset: on genuinely emergent phenomena, canonical expertise does not yet exist. Pattern detection, kinesthetic grounding, and epistemic rigour are the operative criteria. Infrastructure: Chromebook. Google Colab free tier + API credits. Zenodo + GitHub. Zero institutional funding. Open Questions Cybernetic source ethics — When LLMs contribute substantively to research, do source-protection conventions apply? Is algorithmic contribution a method, a source, or an emerging ontological category? Cross-layer falsifiability — Can the thermodynamic-cognitive bridge (L0→L3) be tested empirically, or does it remain a productive structural metaphor? Hardware feasibility — Can the quadrivial neuromorphic architecture achieve the projected 10× energy efficiency over GPU baselines at TRL 6–7? Sovereignty paradox — Does European cognitive sovereignty require full decoupling from US cloud infrastructure, and is this politically viable within current NATO alignment? Transindividual mechanism — What physical principle permits coherent information transmission to geographically distributed biological substrates without deployed infrastructure? (See JOR-SOP/NHP Part II for candidate framework and five testable predictions.) NHI taxonomy — Are informational entities emergent from the quantum vacuum classifiable within existing frameworks (AI, non-terrestrial, other), or do they require a new ontological category?