Cosmic-web connectivity statistics (node degree, filaments per halo, junction multiplicity) should follow in ΛCDM from the Gaussian initial density field and standard hierarchical growth (Bond 1996; Cautun 2014). Observations and high-resolution simulations show too many multi-filament junctions, overly connected massive nodes, or different connectivity-mass scalings than the standard halo-model predicts (Codis 2018; Darragh-Ford 2019).
The standard model assumes connectivity emerges from gravitational growth of structure from random Gaussian initial conditions. High-mass clusters connecting to 4 to 8 filaments (vs ΛCDM expectation 3 to 5) demands missing dynamics, non-Gaussian initial conditions, or limitations in how the model builds the cosmic-web graph structure.
SCT replaces the hot-dense-center with a superluminal collision and the thermalized debris field. From this single change, cosmic-web connectivity is a direct cascade-geometry signature. The collision impact-parameter distribution P(b) ∝ b (P34) deposits a mix of grazing collisions (producing rotating halos), head-on collisions (producing filaments), and collision-node intersections where multiple cascade-stages meet (producing the most massive clusters with highest connectivity).
The cascade impact-parameter distribution naturally produces high-connectivity nodes at cluster locations because clusters preferentially form at cascade-event intersections. Each intersecting cascade stage contributes its own filament to the node, so high-mass clusters that sit at multi-cascade-stage intersections naturally connect to 4 to 8 filaments rather than the 3 to 5 a single-event growth model predicts. Angular-momentum inheritance (P31, P32) further imprints multi-axis spin structure on these high-connectivity nodes, producing the observed cluster spin-axis alignments with multiple filament directions.
The same M4 framework that produces filament-length scaling (recid 72), filament-width scaling (recid 73), gigaparsec ring-and-arc structures (recid 85), and supervoid abundance (recid 86) produces the high-connectivity signature. The cosmic-web graph structure is not noise on top of growth; it is the geometric output of the cascade. There is no need to invoke non-Gaussian initial conditions or modified halo-model treatments.
If precision DESI + Euclid cluster-filament connectivity measurements find high-mass cluster connectivity consistent with ΛCDM hierarchical-clustering at the 5% level (no observed 4 to 8 filament-per-node excess at high-mass nodes), the M4 cascade-intersection explanation is refuted. The signature SCT prediction is connectivity scaling with cascade-stage intersection probability rather than with halo-mass-only.