Adversarial Failure Modes of LLM Formal Reasoning Under Strict Conservation Constraints: A Topological Breakthrough

As Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly deployed in autonomous scientific discovery and complex formal reasoning, their vulnerability under non-negotiable physical constraints remains critical. This technical memorandum documents a deterministic failure mode in state-of-the-art transformer-based reasoning engines: when subjected to closed-system conservation laws (Delta U = 0) within complex spatial dynamics, the model's algebraic and propositional deduction collapses into infinite self-referential loops ("formal reasoning deadlocks"). We present an empirical adversarial case study demonstrating this failure mode, followed by the deployment of a human-guided topological intervention—the Annular/Concentric Shear Topology. This structural paradigm bypassed the formal deadlock, demonstrating that hybrid human-AI cognitive frameworks can overcome intrinsic algorithmic bottlenecks where pure symbol manipulation fails.

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-10-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23152657
Primary Topic
Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Adversarial Failure Modes of LLM Formal Reasoning Under Strict Conservation Constraints: A Topological Breakthrough

Qiang(Peter) Ye
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge
article

Adversarial Failure Modes of LLM Formal Reasoning Under Strict Conservation Constraints: A Topological Breakthrough

Qiang(Peter) Ye
article en

Abstract

As Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly deployed in autonomous scientific discovery and complex formal reasoning, their vulnerability under non-negotiable physical constraints remains critical. This technical memorandum documents a deterministic failure mode in state-of-the-art transformer-based reasoning engines: when subjected to closed-system conservation laws (Delta U = 0) within complex spatial dynamics, the model's algebraic and propositional deduction collapses into infinite self-referential loops ("formal reasoning deadlocks"). We present an empirical adversarial case study demonstrating this failure mode, followed by the deployment of a human-guided topological intervention—the Annular/Concentric Shear Topology. This structural paradigm bypassed the formal deadlock, demonstrating that hybrid human-AI cognitive frameworks can overcome intrinsic algorithmic bottlenecks where pure symbol manipulation fails.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge
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