Gauge and Quantum Dynamics from the GEP Instanton Ladder

This paper shows that three fundamental dynamical structures of modern physics — gauge fields, quantum wave mechanics, and the cosmological energy hierarchy — emerge from the statistical mechanics of the GEP instanton ladder. The Maxwell equations arise from the Abelian U(1) symmetry of the topological charge of CP² instantons. The Schrödinger equation emerges as the continuum limit of stochastic transitions between ladder states, with the diffusion coefficient derived from the collective coordinate effective action of the instanton. The cosmological vacuum energy hierarchy of order 10⁻¹²² relative to the Planck scale follows naturally from the large microstate count N without fine-tuning. Finite-N corrections produce small but in-principle testable modifications to both the Schrödinger equation and the Maxwell action.