Why Helium-4 Determines the Strength of Gravity
The gravitational constant G is not fundamental but emerges as G = A(t) × R(t), where R(t) = 0.007594 is the **restoration rate** determined by helium-4 nuclear stability. This page derives R(t) from first principles, explains why it exceeds the fine-structure constant α = 1/137 ≈ 0.00730 by approximately 4%, and shows how nuclear physics directly determines the strength of gravity. The 4% enhancement arises from nuclear binding effects beyond the electromagnetic baseline set by α.
In the Ashebo Framework, Newton's gravitational constant decomposes as:
G = A(t) × R(t)
A(t) = 8.782 × 10-9 m³/(kg·s²)
The "bare" gravitational coupling field
R(t) = 0.007594 (dimensionless)
The restoration rate
G = 6.674 × 10-11 m³/(kg·s²)
The observed gravitational constant
But where does R(t) = 0.007594 come from? Why this specific value? And why does it differ from the fine-structure constant α = 1/137 ≈ 0.00730?
R(t) is not an arbitrary parameter—it is the **observed mass deficit fraction of helium-4**, the most stable light nucleus in the universe. The value 0.007594 is measured directly from nuclear physics experiments and represents the fundamental restoration scale of nature.
Helium-4 consists of 2 protons and 2 valleys [neutrons]. When we measure its mass, we find it is **lighter** than the sum of its constituent particles. This "missing mass" is the mass deficit.
Constituent Masses:
Total: 3756.696 MeV/c²
Observed Helium-4 Mass:
3728.401 MeV/c² (atomic mass)
Mass Deficit:
Δm = 3756.696 - 3728.401 = 28.295 MeV/c²
Mass Deficit Fraction:
Δm/m = 28.295 / 3728.401 = 0.007594
This is R(t). The restoration rate is simply the fractional mass deficit of helium-4, the fundamental building block of all heavier nuclei.
The fine-structure constant α = 1/137 ≈ 0.00730 sets the electromagnetic coupling strength and represents the **quantum speed limit** for restoration. Yet helium-4's mass deficit R(t) = 0.007594 exceeds this by 4%. Why?
α = 1/137 ≈ 0.00730 represents the fundamental electromagnetic coupling. This is the "bare" restoration rate from field interactions alone, without nuclear structure effects.
Origin: Quantum electrodynamics (QED), photon-electron coupling
R(t) = 0.007594 = 1.04α includes the electromagnetic baseline **plus** nuclear binding effects from the strong force organizing protons and valleys [neutrons] into a stable configuration.
Origin: Nuclear shell structure, valley [neutron]-proton pairing, Pauli exclusion
The 4% enhancement (R(t) = 1.04α) arises from three nuclear effects:
Helium-4's 2p-2n configuration achieves optimal valley [neutron]-proton pairing, creating a "doubly magic" nucleus (Z=2, N=2 shell closures). This pairing enhances binding beyond the electromagnetic baseline.
The retrocausal resonance (Temporal Handshake) between compression field φc and energy-release field φE creates a resonance valley geometry that is maximally stable for the 2p-2n configuration, slightly exceeding the α baseline.
Helium-4 represents the **saturation point** of α-scale restoration—it achieves the maximum possible restoration efficiency for a light nucleus. The 4% overshoot reflects the full nuclear binding contribution beyond electromagnetic coupling alone.
Now we see the profound connection: **Helium-4 nuclear stability determines the strength of gravity.**
Helium-4 is the fundamental restoration unit
Its mass deficit fraction R(t) = 0.007594 sets the restoration scale for all matter.
Gravity emerges from restoration dynamics
The gravitational constant G = A(t) × R(t) where A(t) is the bare coupling and R(t) modulates its strength.
Therefore, G is determined by helium-4 stability
G = 8.782×10-9 × 0.007594 = 6.669×10-11 m³/(kg·s²)
This is why **gravity is weak by a factor close to 137**: it's suppressed by the restoration rate R(t) ≈ α, which is fundamentally set by helium-4 nuclear physics. The hierarchy problem is solved—gravity is weak because nuclear restoration is slow (limited by α).
R(t) / α = 0.007594 / 0.00730
= 1.0407
4.07% enhancement
A(t) = G / R(t)
= 8.782×10-9
Bare gravitational coupling
The restoration rate R(t) ≈ α connects quantum electrodynamics (α), nuclear physics (helium-4 stability), and gravity (G = A(t) × R(t)) into a single framework. All three emerge from the same underlying restoration mechanism.
If α varied in the early universe (as some observations suggest), then R(t) would vary proportionally. This predicts correlated changes in nuclear binding energies and gravitational strength, testable through primordial nucleosynthesis and CMB observations.
Helium-4 is not just "stable"—it is the **α-calibrator** of the universe. Its mass deficit fraction sets the fundamental restoration scale that governs gravity, nuclear binding, and electromagnetic coupling. This explains why helium-4 is so abundant (25% of baryonic matter) and why it's the endpoint of stellar hydrogen burning.
The Ashebo Framework reveals that α, R(t), and G are not independent constants but manifestations of a single underlying restoration mechanism:
This is not curve fitting—it is a derivation from first principles showing how nuclear physics determines cosmology.
Use our interactive calculator to visualize how R(t) and A(t) combine to produce the observed gravitational constant G.
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