Self-Consistent Time Gradient as the Origin of Mass: A Gravitational-Quantum Cavity Model

AbstractWe propose that particle mass emerges from self-consistent quasinormal modes ofa scalar field trapped within a time-dilation-induced refractive index well. Unlikeprior heuristic models, we solve the fully coupled Einstein–Klein–Gordon systemwith backreaction using a self-consistent numerical iteration. Stable solutions satisfya refined geometric relation R99% ≈ ℏ/mc ≈ 4GM/c2, yielding a ground-state massm0 ≈ 0.28 mPl. Higher modes form a discrete spectrum, offering a geometric origin formass quantization without the Higgs mechanism.