Quantum Aether Tiers as The Meta-Field Origin of Variable Light Speed and Vacuum Energy

We propose a fundamental paradigm in which the vacuum is not empty but a discrete quantum state of a dynamical scalar field, the meta-field . This framework posits the existence of multiple vacuum tiers, discrete, stable configurations of labeled by a quantum number , each characterized by tier-specific values of fundamental constants. A key consequence is that the speed of light in vacuum, , becomes an emergent property of the vacuum state, varying discontinuously across tiers as . The theory is grounded in a covariant action principle where couples directly to gravity via . This model naturally resolves major cosmological puzzles: the large in high-energy tiers drives a period of inflation and solves the horizon problem, tier transitions provide a mechanism for instantaneous reheating, and the slow evolution of in the current epoch explains dark energy and naturally resolves the Hubble tension. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the extreme geometry near rapidly spinning Kerr black holes acts as a catalytic gateway between tiers, enhancing transition probabilities within a defined resonance zone (). This leads to specific, falsifiable predictions, including an anomalous energy-dependent composition of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) exclusively from spinning black holes, a quasi-monochromatic GUT-line in gamma-ray spectra, point-source anti-nuclei fluxes, and a high-frequency stochastic gravitational wave background. The framework renders the multiverse concept testable, transforming black holes from endpoints of collapse into fundamental connectors in a tiered cosmic architecture.