# docs/ — study and specification index
Normative and study documents for the MNF formats. Every measured claim
points at its producing record; `docs/science.md` maps the underlying
principles (information theory, coding theory, MDL) to the mechanisms.
## Specifications (normative)
- [format.md](format.md) — MNF5/MNF6/MNF7 bitstream specs + freeze stamp;
MNF8 extension described in the crate docs (`src/mnf8.rs`) and
[ADR-002](adr-002-entropy-backends.md).
- [adr-001-color-transform.md](adr-001-color-transform.md) — MNF7 color-domain
residuals decision record.
- [adr-002-entropy-backends.md](adr-002-entropy-backends.md) — MNF8 backend
field + profiles decision record.
- [mnf8-adr-003-tokens.md](mnf8-adr-003-tokens.md) — MNF8 FLAG_TOKENS
(LZ77-2D token payload over the MED plane) decision record.
## Measurements (canonical numbers)
- [benchmarks.md](benchmarks.md) — lossless comparison tables (PNG/JXL/WebP
columns), held-out corpus.
- [atlas-eval-v12.md](atlas-eval-v12.md) — encoder arm ablation (MED, atlas,
D8, planar at coder parity).
- [entropy-backends-v13.md](entropy-backends-v13.md) — backend matrix at
frozen-stream parity (zlib/zstd/brotli/xz).
- [subspace-v01.md](subspace-v01.md) — PCA/MDL subspace study (FAIL gate).
- [photo-gate-v122.md](photo-gate-v122.md) — photographic corpus gate.
## Research records (2026-10-27 probe program)
Six geometry-family denials + one engine retention, all measured with
metadata counted and exact reconstruction asserted:
- [riemannian-traversal-probe.md](riemannian-traversal-probe.md) — metric-guided
scan order (DENIED; also the metric-warp predictor postscript).
- [shear-refs-format-probe.md](shear-refs-format-probe.md) — D8+10-shear MNF8
flag candidate implemented and reverted at the 30/30 gate.
- [ternary-residuals-probe.md](ternary-residuals-probe.md) — balanced-ternary
digit splits on prediction residuals (first-cost analysis).
- [research-paper-validation.md](research-paper-validation.md) — published
compression claims vs manifold measurements (per-claim verdicts).
- [mnf8-riemann-conformal-probe.md](mnf8-riemann-conformal-probe.md) — conformal
square→disk guidance (analytic no-op) + anisotropic orientation tiebreak
(single-class candidate).
- [riemann-array-v05-probe.md](riemann-array-v05-probe.md) — shear-wrap torus
prediction (1/W lever; 0/30 corpus wins).
- [periodic-prediction-v06-probe.md](periodic-prediction-v06-probe.md) — periodic
structure prediction (25/30 corpus wins, −8.92%; mechanism split T=1 vs true T;
coefficient hybrid denied).
- [webp-hybrid-probe.md](webp-hybrid-probe.md) — WebP-style predictors on the
MNF8 coder (DENIED) + the fair corpora comparison table.
- [mnf9-engine-ladder-probe.md](mnf9-engine-ladder-probe.md) — the ladder:
LZ77-2D token engine RETAINED rate-aware; matrix-matching arms DENIED.
- [mnf9-token-arm.md](mnf9-token-arm.md) — the retained arm ported to Rust
(`crates/mnf-mans`): real decoder, 30-file corpus gate, 5/30 token wins
reproducing the ladder numbers.
Earlier research notes: [v07-charts-replication.md](v07-charts-replication.md),
[cy01-torus.md](cy01-torus.md), [dimensional-fold-probe.md](dimensional-fold-probe.md),
[cryoem-plan.md](cryoem-plan.md), [eer-probe-10061-10943.md](eer-probe-10061-10943.md),
[riemannian-review.md](riemannian-review.md).
## Communication
- [science.md](science.md) — the principles document: information theory,
coding theory, MDL, and the measured research principles (§11).
- [announcement-draft.md](announcement-draft.md) — approved announcement
numbers draft (in-repo, soaking).
## Audits
- [audit-crate-131.md](audit-crate-131.md) — published-crate audit (v1.3.1).
- [audit-2026-10-25.md](audit-2026-10-25.md) — full-repo technical audit.