The Return Theory & MERT-1 Cosmological Model — Full Research Package (2025)

This repository contains the complete research package for the Return Theory (RT) and its minimal cosmological embedding MERT-1. RT introduces a field-first framework in which time is modeled as an active divergent field generating curvature, while gravity emerges as a convergent response field. Their nonlinear interaction produces an equilibrium scalar q(x,t) and a characteristic lens-shaped equilibrium geometry. The theory provides a structural, cycle-based perspective on dynamics, equilibrium, and gravitation. The second manuscript tests the cosmological implications of this framework. The MERT-1 model predicts small oscillations in the dark-energy sector and is compared against late-time observational data, including DESI DR2 BAO, Pantheon+ supernovae, Planck CMB priors, RSD fσ₈, and JWST early-galaxy constraints. The combined analysis shows that RT’s oscillatory dark-energy phenomenology is broadly consistent with current data, with mild statistical preference over ΛCDM in several combinations. This package includes: RT_overleaf_FINAL_clean.pdf — The foundational theoretical document MERT1_overleaf_FINAL_clean.pdf — The cosmological testing and statistical analysis Complete combined ZIP archive (LaTeX-ready) The project is intended as an open, testable proposal in fundamental physics and cosmology, and the author welcomes critique, collaboration, and further exploration. Keywords: Return Theory, Temporal Field, q-Scalar, Emergent Geometry, Dark Energy Oscillations, DESI DR2, Pantheon+, Planck, Cosmology, Theoretical Physics, MERT-1 Upload type: Preprint License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Author: Hamed Hajizadeh (Independent Researcher)