A Unified Viscoelastic Framework for Subatomic, Electromagnetic, and Cosmological Phenomena: The Dynamic Substrate Theory (DST)⁠

Abstract Modern theoretical physics remains fractured between the geometric abstraction of General Relativity and the quantum vacuum divergences of the Standard Model. This work presents a comprehensive synthesis of the Dynamic Substrate Theory (DST), a framework that replaces empty spacetime and passive quantum vacuums with a tangible, compressible, and viscoelastic continuous medium obeying Maxwell-Oldroyd-B rheology. By formulating a unified stress tensor that cleanly separates volumetric and deviatoric components, DST demonstrates that gravitational fields emerge from hydrostatic pressure gradients, classical electromagnetism and light propagation map onto substrate vorticity and shear wave speeds, strong nuclear forces arise from high-shear elastic confinement, and cosmological phenomena—traditionally attributed to Cold Dark Matter and Dark Energy—are naturally resolved as long-range viscoelastic drag and strain relaxation effects. Furthermore, extreme gravitational collapse saturates at finite Planckian densities, eliminating physical singularities entirely. Keywords: Unified Field Theory, Viscoelastic Vacuum, Maxwell-Oldroyd-B Rheology, Emergent Gravity, Continuous Medium Mechanics.