A Minimal Recursive Balance-Restoration Model for Near-Horizon Black Hole Environments: Synthetic Tests and a NICER Feasibility Pilot

We introduce a minimal recursive balance-restoration model for testing whether activated recursive regions can reduce signed imbalance more strongly than appropriate controls. The model defines a recursion-intensity profile, an activation variable, and a signed balance variable. Synthetic simulations show activation-localized restoration in the baseline configuration and across a broad parameter basin. A synthetic observable bridge is then constructed and applied to archival NICER observations of the black-hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070. Three W1 observations are analyzed using activation-like and local imbalance-like proxies. Positive RBRI-like proxy signals are found in all three observations. However, astrophysical alternative tests and rate-coupling audits show that the observational pattern is substantially coupled to X-ray count rate. The NICER result is therefore interpreted as a feasibility demonstration of the diagnostic pipeline rather than observational confirmation of the model. This Zenodo record contains the final manuscript PDF together with the complete source archive, figures, tables, metadata, and reproducibility materials.