A Universal Stress Test for Fundamental Physics

This document introduces an external functional integrity test designed to assess whether a given theoretical construction satisfies the minimal requirements of variational closure expected of a fundamental physical theory. The test is not a competing model, but a benchmark: any framework claiming fundamental status must pass a finite set of non-negotiable criteria, including self-generated operator structure, absence of external renormalization prescriptions, emergent symmetry, and spectral completeness derived exclusively from functional variation. The test is derived from the Universal Ψ variational principle and is formulated to be applicable to any field-based construction, independently of its specific ontological commitments. Failure to satisfy any single criterion implies that the theory is not mathematically self-contained and therefore cannot qualify as fundamental. This work is intended as a methodological audit tool for contemporary theoretical physics.