Global Fractional Quantization of Particle Multiplets: A Unified Phenomenological Framework and the Case for Composite Weak Bosons

This paper presents a comprehensive phenomenological framework termed “Global Fractional Quantization,” which posits that the sum of specific observables over an entire particle multiplet is quantized in simple rational multiples of a fundamental unit. The framework is built upon the construction of U(N) mass multiplets from experimental data, incorporating a gauge constraint, gauge invariance, and a gauge periodicity condition as its foundational postulates. Rigorous validation is performed using the Particle Data Group (2025) dataset across diverse systems: meson octets, baryon octets, weak bosons, and leptons. A key data-driven step involves treating the K0 and ¯ K0 as a mass-degenerate state to reduce the U(3) nonet to an octet, yielding exceptional agreement. The global fits achieve a total χ2 = 5.98 with 4 degrees of freedom (p-value = 31.0%). A central and novel interpretation arising from the pattern of these regularities is proposed: the simple, integer-based global mass relation observed for the weak boson system (mW+ + mW− +mZ)/(2mH) ≈ 1 may indicate a composite nature for the electroweak gauge bosons, akin to the patterns governing composite hadronic systems, in contrast to the unique, non-linear relation found for fundamental leptons.