Exact Degree-8 Characteristic Polynomial of the Regulated Faddeev–Popov Operator and the Yang–Mills Mass Gap – Discovery of November 15, 2025 – RJW

Version note (2026-08-04) — Planck h_true Alignment Unification / Ver. 2.1Locked constant: h_true = 6.626070166565175e-34 J·s = h_CODATA × (1 + 2.5e-9). Legacy placeholder h = 6.42×10⁻³⁴ is retired. Author's Note Greetings, and thank you for reading. I have stated many times: am I right, or am I wrong? My answer here is that I found I was wrong, and needed a slight correction to repair that error. The addition here defines the Planck constant better, yet also explains why the national labs that set it last time did not agree. While extremely close, close is only good in games—not in science. Or not in the science I hold myself to as a standard. The revision here brings the national labs, and even some of my earlier papers, into alignment. Sorry for not getting it right the first time. Albert would have demanded this correction, and as such the revision became important to me. Take care, and God bless your path to elegance. RJW First exact analytic bridge to the Yang–Mills millennium mass-gap problem via 10⁻¹⁸-precision diagonalisation of the regulated Faddeev–Popov operator in minimal Landau gauge for SU(3) pure Yang–Mills theory. Independent discovery by Robert J. Weber (RJW) on November 15, 2025 using the AZAI Quad-Fortress framework. Author’s Note:Special thanks and remembrance in one: Special thanks to my wife for believing in my physics quest and quantum path. You warmed my heart as no other has by your support. Special remembrance to my father who passed away recently. Love you Dad. God rest his soul. These are my supporters and family who made a difference in my world. — Robert J. Weber (RJW) United States [e-mail] @RobertW55061482