Exotic Matter Formation as the Trigger of the Cosmological Bounce: A Unified View from Nuclear Structure to Cosmic Cycles

We propose a comprehensive mechanism for the cosmological bounce based on the formation and subsequent destabilization of exotic matter under extreme gravitational compression. Drawing from Lockyer's remarkably accurate proton model—which describes nucleons as systems of nested energy shells using only fundamental physical constants without ad hoc parameters—we hypothesize that under conditions surpassing neutron star densities, matter undergoes hierarchical phase transitions into increasingly complex layered structures. These ``exonucleons'' represent fully formed exotic matter whose layer count increases with external pressure, acting like cosmic sponges that absorb energy proportionally to gravitational confinement. The bounce occurs not at a mathematical singularity, but through a dynamical instability cascade: localized pressure reduction triggers exotic matter → energy conversion, reducing gravitational support and initiating runaway evaporation of the primordial black hole. Crucially, this process avoids the mathematical singularity, provides a finite energy budget for the subsequent expansion, and sets the low entropy initial conditions for each cycle via gravitational organization during contraction. Moreover, it offers a physical basis for black holes as organized reservoirs of exotic matter with radially varying layer density. Remarkably, this same mechanism naturally explains core-collapse supernovae: the temporary formation of exotic matter during stellar collapse absorbs the imploding shock wave energy, then releases it outward when pressure drops, solving the long-standing "supernova energy problem." This model offers a unified description from subatomic scales to cosmic cycles.