Resonance-Driven Bond Unbinding in Silicates:A Δf-Based Pathway for Oxygen Extraction in USP Field Theory

This work presents a mechanism-level proposal for resonance-driven bond destabilization in silicate materials within the framework of USP Field Theory. The study focuses on oxygen extraction from silicate-rich regolith, a key requirement for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon and Mars. In this framework, chemical bonds are interpreted as stable oscillatory resonance corridors governed by a frequency mismatch parameter Δf. Bond destabilization occurs when externally driven mismatch approaches a critical threshold Δf₍crit₎, leading to barrier lowering and enabling conventional oxygen-release pathways. The manuscript provides quantitative anchors for Si–O vibrational frequencies (~10¹³ Hz), photon energy (~0.1 eV), and bond dissociation energies (~4–8 eV), demonstrating that direct single-photon dissociation is not feasible. Instead, the work emphasizes nonlinear, surface-selective, defect-assisted, and coherent excitation pathways. A physically motivated estimate for Δf₍crit₎ is derived using a tolerance parameter α ~ 10⁻², corresponding to spectroscopic linewidth scales (~5–20 cm⁻¹) observed in IR and Raman measurements. This establishes a direct experimental dial for testing the theory. The study introduces a schematic barrier-lowering term Λ, linked to vibrational perturbation theory and surface reaction coordinates, and proposes measurable signatures of nonthermal resonance effects through Raman linewidth broadening and oxygen yield enhancement relative to thermal controls. A full experimental protocol is provided, including tunable mid-infrared laser excitation, mass spectrometry detection of O₂, and spectroscopic diagnostics. The work defines clear falsification criteria and null-result expectations, making the framework directly testable. This document extends previous USP Field Theory work on resonance-mediated processes, including photon–lattice interaction (msf:45712) and clean bond unbinding in biological systems (msf:47600), demonstrating consistency across chemical and material scales.