Scale hierarchy ~1 fm nuclear ×10⁵ ~150 fm electron (r_eff) ×10⁹ ~100 μm soliton (ξ) (a) Compton breathing (b) Boundary disruption (c) Modon emission co rotating all kinetic ξ (outer) all boundary energy ↔ at ω_c ↺ ↺ ↻ n=2 → n=1 transition outer dress deforms counter-rotating crash at the neck modon lobe forming → c electron settles to n=1 dress modon (photon) counter-rotating vortex dipole from existing dress E = hν = 10.2 eV The modon forms from the electron's perturbation envelope, it's wake in the lattice ripples to ξ ≈ 100 μm during each Compton cycle. The photon is not launched from the atom — it reorganizes from pre-existing soliton-scale structure. counter