Two neutron stars spiral toward each other. The D-channel (Z/8, circumference D^3=8) is the throat connecting two tori. When D powers hit D^3, the channel dies: D^3 = 0 mod 8. The bridge self-destructs. That is the choke. General relativity describes the inspiral. The axiom tells you WHY it stops where it stops.
As powers of D=2 spiral inward, coupling drops by half at each step -- until D^3=8 kills the D-channel entirely:
| Power | Value | D-channel (mod 8) | Coupling |
|---|---|---|---|
| D^1 | 2 | 2 (alive) | 485,100 |
| D^2 | 4 | 4 (alive) | 242,550 |
| D^3 | 8 | 0 (DEAD) | 121,275 -- TERMINAL |
| D^k, k>=3 | 2^k | 0 (frozen) | 121,275 -- forever frozen |
Exactly K-1 = 2 halvings before terminal coupling. The inspiral has 3 coupling levels, then the bridge self-destructs. K=3 = the minimum to close.
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