Emergence I: A Deterministic Model from Wave Intersections on a Pre-Geometric Canvas

This paper is the foundation of the Emergence series. It presents a deterministic, background‑independent model in which spacetime, quantum fields, and gravity emerge from wave intersections on a pre‑geometric canvas. The model derives the speed of light, time dilation, the equivalence principle, no black hole singularities, and information preservation from first principles. It makes testable predictions: a CMB cutoff, energy-dependent light speed, and modified gravitational wave dispersion. It allows the coexistence of general relativity, quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and the Standard Model within a single discrete, deterministic framework — a combination no other framework achieves. Keywords: emergence, pre-geometric, discrete spacetime, lattice gravity, testable predictions, background independence, determinism