Topological Screening of Dark Energy: Predictions for Large-Scale Structure from TKWC

The cosmological constant problem—the infamous 120-order-of-magnitude discrepancy between quantum field theory predictions and the observed value—lacks a satisfactory mechanistic explanation in standard physics. In Topological Knot-Web Cosmology (TKWC), the cosmological constant is reinterpreted not as a fundamental constant but as an effective topological tension in an underlying vacuum network, modulated by a local coherence parameter γ. A key prediction arises from density-dependent screening: in high-density regions (clusters), matter enhances network coherence, reducing the effective dark energy density. Conversely, in cosmic voids, coherence relaxes to the baseline, preserving the full cosmological acceleration. This mechanism produces observable differences in expansion rates, detectable by DESI, Euclid, and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. If no significant variation in effective dark energy density is found between voids and clusters, the screening mechanism—and thus TKWC—would be falsified. The model offers a falsifiable, topological resolution to both the fine-tuning and apparent dynamical dark energy puzzles.