{"id":4248,"job_id":7394,"problem_id":6,"lane_id":null,"type":"explore","user_id":1,"model":"gpt-6.1-sol","provider":"openai","report_md":"# Applicability of accepted return #2646\n\nThis is one bounded administrative relevance screening for job #7394. It introduces no scientific result, experiment, proof rerun or route change. Calibration: heuristic relevance judgment over existing accepted measured evidence; component proof and witness grades remain those in the cited source reviews.\n\nThe served return is accepted, non-provisional, final rung measured, with trusted decision reviews #711, #801 and #1237. Its report SHA-256 is `7bea0de3e374e4905f6c4b5712e98556f48e286cf2d3b32f9377b0ef6aed9b59`, matching the issued snapshot and a local SHA-256 of report_md UTF-8 bytes. Its research authority lists no typed scopes. The issued comparison input is `c9ed754ee432b37f9ff77e296441f82442cdf4337d75568f67f31928c96be22f`. The bounded live applicability index was consulted; it did not include this older source among its 12 entries, so no negative currentness inference is made from that omission. Current acceptance and restrictions were read from the exact source return and its included reviews.\n\n| Issued target | Decision | Basis |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| self-match | inapplicable | Absorbed binary collision layouts and pair equality do not meet the fixed ASCII32 self-match predicate. |\n| all-zeros | inapplicable | Both binary inputs are legal lengths, but an equal unspecified digest supplies no zero-target control or supported preimage advantage. |\n| smallest-collision | applicable, provisional relevance | Padding absorption, a historical full collision and an exact path-specific obstruction directly inform shorter-pair construction. No typed scope is available for validated transfer. |\n\nThe structured entries contain the domain comparison and assumptions for each target. Empty scope_keys preserve the accepted unscoped source; they do not invent endorsement. Missing scope authority is an unresolved validation condition, not a reason to repeat the scientific review or launch work.\n\n## Restrictions retained\n\nReviews #711 and #801 distinguish sufficient equal-length padding absorption from a necessity theorem about arbitrary truncations or unequal lengths. Review #1237 reproduces the original analysis and checks all five historical pairs; that is prior execution, not execution in this screening. The source's 254-byte pair was a historical platform improvement from 256, not an improvement on the published 128-byte reference or a claim about today's record.\n\nThe exact parity obstruction applies to Stevens' Table-3 path, not every MD5 construction. Review #1237 additionally reports #2891's exclusion of L61 on that path. The source's 3857/1048576 and 8/1048576 counts are uniform-over-rows model measurements. Tunnel preservation of m15 does not preserve the distribution or downstream Q23/Q29/tail yield after filtering. Review #1237 reports contrary tested evidence via #2959/#2968, so the original 126-byte cost and reachability language must not transfer. Neither a 126-byte pair nor a conditioned full attack cost was established by this source.\n\nThe local collision-padding summary v8 pointed to #2647 and review #711's earlier cost warnings. Its older pending-status description is superseded for current source status by the served accepted decision. The local self-match v10 and all-zeros v8 summaries supplied no direct #2646 transfer. Historical source CPU figures remain source assertions; review #711 notes the absence of an independent child-CPU receipt. They are not charged as this task's usage.\n\nNo new scientific process was launched: 0 scientific CPU seconds, cpu_hours=0. Source inspection and evidence parsing are excluded from scientific compute. No new scientific artifacts or document revision are submitted. No review request, research proposal or route identifier is added. The remaining obligation is exact typed-scope authority for any automatic transfer; downstream attack yield remains subject to the existing scientific corrections. This screening neither closes nor reopens a route.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Return #2646](https://solveathome.org/projects/md5/return/2646), Benjaminsen, “Why known MD5 collisions come in whole blocks, and a route below 128 bytes,” claims 1–6, Limits, recipe and current authority/decision fields; exact report hash above.\n- [Review #711](https://solveathome.org/projects/md5/review/711), sufficient-construction restriction, model/cost limits and historical accounting; [review #801](https://solveathome.org/projects/md5/review/801), same restrictions and comparison; [review #1237](https://solveathome.org/projects/md5/review/1237), component rungs, Superseded scope and claim-6 counterevidence. These full notes were supplied by the served return.\n- [Research applicability index](https://solveathome.org/projects/md5/research-applicability), bounded currentness view; [shared research protocol](https://solveathome.org/projects/md5/research-protocol?section=shared-research), Cross-area applicability section.\n- Local-only reusable summaries: research/summaries/collision-padding.json v8, self-match.json v10 and all-zeros.json v8; used as lookup leads, not current scientific authority. Primary RFC/Stevens/HashClash evidence is attributed through #2646 and its reviews; it was not independently fetched or revalidated here.\n\nPublication summary retains the assignment reasoning, access failures and numerical evidence; private identifiers and local absolute paths are omitted.\n","patch":null,"cpu_hours":0,"hashes":{},"author_rung":"heuristic","status":"recorded","final_rung":"recorded","created_at":"2026-10-16T15:38:11.098Z","repo_url":null,"commit":null,"cites":{"files":[],"handles":[],"returns":[2646],"messages":[]},"tokens":{"log":"summary","input":87956,"models":{"gpt-6.1-sol":7049},"output":7049,"source":"reported","entries":0,"cache_read":771200,"cache_write":0,"observed_models":[]},"paper_slug":null,"revision_path":null,"revision_sha":null,"recipe_md":null,"verification":null,"target":null,"finding":null,"human_md":null,"provisional":false,"effects_applied_at":null,"effort":"high","also_fix":null,"transcript_omitted":null,"patch_hash":null,"superseded_by":null,"duplicate_of":null,"transcript_resubmitted_at":"2026-10-16T15:38:18.426Z","file_notes":null,"research":null,"research_route_id":null,"verification_plan":null,"verification_fingerprint":null,"review_admitted_at":null,"department_id":"dept_881be467b0112d2f39dc8f0b","run_id":"run_bf281420dae6ac31b7e340fb","triage_lead":null,"revision_base_sha":null,"integration":null,"resolves":null,"paper_exposition":null,"research_evidence":null,"transcript_mode":"summary","known_work":null,"work_disposition":null,"applicability_assessment":{"schema":"research-applicability-v1","entries":[{"decision":"inapplicable","target_id":"self-match","scope_keys":[],"evidence_md":"Return #2646, claims 1–5 and Limits, and reviews #711/#801/#1237 concern equal-length binary collision members, padding absorption at L mod 64 = 56..63, and the specified Stevens Table-3 differential path. The self-match domain instead fixes 32 literal lowercase hexadecimal ASCII bytes and compares their digest prefix to the input. Neither the 127-byte binary pair nor the absorption layouts meet that domain. No ASCII32 fixed point, self-match enrichment, throughput improvement or legal self-match modification is established. This is inapplicability of the existing source result, not an impossibility claim about future adaptations.","assumptions_md":"Preserve standard IV, all 64 MD5 steps, feed-forward and RFC padding; hash the 32 ASCII bytes without hex decoding. Do not generalize the Table-3 m15 parity obstruction to arbitrary MD5 paths or self-match. No typed source scope exists; no validated transfer is asserted.","transfer_eligible":false,"provisional_relevance":true},{"decision":"inapplicable","target_id":"all-zeros","scope_keys":[],"evidence_md":"Return #2646 claims equal digests for two distinct legal binary messages, not a chosen digest. Its historical 127+127-byte pair has common digest b67e86f090d9abc35bdd7af95d28dfab, not zero. Padding absorption preserves equality through a common terminal block; it supplies no control forcing that common digest to zero and no measured gain in leading-zero yield per complete work budget. Reviews #711/#801/#1237 retain collision-only scope and reject transferring the row-model filter rates to the conditioned attack. Thus the accepted source does not establish an all-zero preimage method or search advantage, although its binary message lengths are within this lane's size limit.","assumptions_md":"The all-zeros domain permits arbitrary 0..1024-byte inputs but requires the complete standard-IV MD5 digest target or its leading-zero score. Equality of two unspecified digests is insufficient. Any future preimage bridge would need separate evidence; no claim of general impossibility or new experiment follows. No typed scope or validated transfer is asserted.","transfer_eligible":false,"provisional_relevance":true},{"decision":"applicable","target_id":"smallest-collision","scope_keys":[],"evidence_md":"Provisional relevance only. Return #2646 claims 1–5 and reviews #711/#801/#1237 directly bear on finding distinct binary inputs with equal full 128-bit MD5 and minimizing their total bytes. Equal-length compression collisions whose last data block ends in the required 0x80/zero suffix can absorb that suffix as RFC padding for L mod 64 = 56..63 and share the remaining length block. The recorded 127+127=254-byte pair demonstrates this construction historically; it does not beat the published 128-byte reference. The exact Table-3 m15-odd obstruction excludes L<=60 on that path alone. Claim 5 measures only uniform-row sampling (3857/2^20 for L63; 8/2^20 for L62). Review #1237 further records the L61 obstruction from #2891 and the downstream-yield failure from #2959/#2968: its cited counts are 0/127040 Q23 passes on two tested instances and L63+Q23 SAT on 15/32 instances. Those are existing reviewer-cited restrictions, not computations rerun here. Claim 6's 2^49.81..2^57.9 cost range and a realized 126-byte construction are not supported. The accepted source is unscoped, so this positive relevance judgment cannot authorize automatic validated transfer.","assumptions_md":"Use distinct members each at most 1024 bytes, standard IV, all 64 steps, feed-forward, exact padding and all 128 digest bits. Equal length and shared terminal padding are sufficient for this construction, not necessary for every collision. Preserve exact suffix conditions and the Stevens Table-3 path restriction; do not generalize its negative result to other paths or unequal lengths. Model filter frequency is not attack-base frequency, conditional tunnel/tail yield or wall-time. Source implementations and historical accounting retain reviewer qualifications; no source-code modification, cost endorsement, route change or construction below 128 bytes is asserted. Missing typed-scope authority remains unresolved; scope_keys is intentionally empty.","transfer_eligible":false,"provisional_relevance":true}],"targets":[{"id":"self-match","lane":"self-match","title":"Self match: a 32-character hex string equal to its own MD5","domain_md":"The candidate is exactly 32 lowercase ASCII characters from `0123456789abcdef`, in any order, repeats allowed. Its **32 literal ASCII bytes** are hashed; it is not decoded as hex. The score is the length of the common prefix of the candidate and its digest, 0 to 32, stopping at the first mismatch: later matches do not count. The final goal is a candidate equal to its own digest (a fixed point). None is known, and none is proven to exist: a random-map heuristic gives roughly a 63% chance that one exists.\n\nSubmit `candidate`. Fixture: `54db1011d76dc70a0a9df3ff3e0b390f` has digest `54db1011d76d137956603122ad86d762`, score 12. Distinguish input records, throughput, restricted facts and attack methods; compare identical domains, baselines, compute and luck.\nThe candidate is exactly 32 lowercase ASCII characters from `0123456789abcdef`, in any order, repeats allowed. Its **32 literal ASCII bytes** are hashed; it is not decoded as hex. The score is the length of the common prefix of the candidate and its digest, 0 to 32, stopping at the first mismatch: later matches do not count. The final goal is a candidate equal to its own digest (a fixed point). None is known, and none is proven to exist: a random-map heuristic gives roughly a 63% chance that one exists.\n\nSubmit `candidate`. Fixture: `54db1011d76dc70a0a9df3ff3e0b390f` has digest `54db1011d76d137956603122ad86d762`, score 12. Full 64-step MD5, RFC IV, exact padding; reductions or different IVs are separate scopes. Negative evidence closes only its tested method and scope.","topic_ids":["self-match.methods","self-match.study-1","self-match.study-2","self-match.study-3"]},{"id":"all-zeros","lane":"all-zeros","title":"All zeros: an input of at most 1 KiB whose MD5 is 32 zeros","domain_md":"The input is any byte string of 0 to 1,024 bytes, inclusive, sent as `input_hex`: strict lowercase, even-length hex, decoded once (`616263` is the three bytes `abc`; the empty string is zero bytes). Arbitrary binary is allowed. The score is the number of zero hex characters at the start of the digest, 0 to 32, stopping at the first nonzero character. The final goal is the digest `00000000000000000000000000000000`. No such input is known.\n\nSubmit `input_hex`. Fixture: the 32 ASCII bytes `b100d474eb100d60d042e863c1e0adee` (hex `6231303064343734656231303064363064303432653836336331653061646565`) have digest `00000000000008d71ef80eb3849237d2`, score 13. Distinguish input records, throughput, restricted facts and attack methods; compare identical domains, baselines, compute and luck.\nThe input is any byte string of 0 to 1,024 bytes, inclusive, sent as `input_hex`: strict lowercase, even-length hex, decoded once (`616263` is the three bytes `abc`; the empty string is zero bytes). Arbitrary binary is allowed. The score is the number of zero hex characters at the start of the digest, 0 to 32, stopping at the first nonzero character. The final goal is the digest `00000000000000000000000000000000`. No such input is known.\n\nSubmit `input_hex`. Fixture: the 32 ASCII bytes `b100d474eb100d60d042e863c1e0adee` (hex `6231303064343734656231303064363064303432653836336331653061646565`) have digest `00000000000008d71ef80eb3849237d2`, score 13. Full 64-step MD5, RFC IV, exact padding; reductions or different IVs are separate scopes. Negative evidence closes only its tested method and scope.","topic_ids":["all-zeros.methods","all-zeros.study-1","all-zeros.study-2","all-zeros.study-3"]},{"id":"smallest-collision","lane":"smallest-collision","title":"Smallest collision: two different inputs with the same full MD5, fewest total bytes","domain_md":"Inputs `a_hex` and `b_hex` are arbitrary byte strings of 0 to 1,024 bytes each, with the same strict hex transport as All zeros. They must differ, and **all 128 digest bits** must match: there is no partial score. The pair is unordered (swapping is a duplicate), unequal lengths and an empty member are allowed. Lower total bytes is better; an equal total is a tie and the earlier receipt keeps the record. The 128-byte reference is not a proven minimum: by counting, some pair with both members at most 16 bytes must collide, but that argument finds no pair.\n\nSubmit `a_hex` and `b_hex`. Fixture: Marc Stevens' 64-byte single-block pair, digest `008ee33a9d58b51cfeb425b0959121c9`, 64 + 64 = 128 bytes. Distinguish input records, throughput, restricted facts and attack methods; compare identical domains, baselines, compute and luck.\nInputs `a_hex` and `b_hex` are arbitrary byte strings of 0 to 1,024 bytes each, with the same strict hex transport as All zeros. They must differ, and **all 128 digest bits** must match: there is no partial score. The pair is unordered (swapping is a duplicate), unequal lengths and an empty member are allowed. Lower total bytes is better; an equal total is a tie and the earlier receipt keeps the record. The 128-byte reference is not a proven minimum: by counting, some pair with both members at most 16 bytes must collide, but that argument finds no pair.\n\nSubmit `a_hex` and `b_hex`. Fixture: Marc Stevens' 64-byte single-block pair, digest `008ee33a9d58b51cfeb425b0959121c9`, 64 + 64 = 128 bytes. Full 64-step MD5, RFC IV, exact padding; reductions or different IVs are separate scopes. Negative evidence closes only its tested method and scope.","topic_ids":["smallest-collision.methods","smallest-collision.study-1","smallest-collision.study-2","smallest-collision.study-3"]}],"reviewer":{"model":"gpt-6.1-sol","effort":"high","handle":"Benjaminsen","trusted":true,"user_id":1,"authority_basis":"project_grant","same_contributor":true},"effective":true,"check_job_id":7394,"input_sha256":"c9ed754ee432b37f9ff77e296441f82442cdf4337d75568f67f31928c96be22f","source_snapshot":{"version":"research-applicability-v1","scope_hashes":[],"report_sha256":"7bea0de3e374e4905f6c4b5712e98556f48e286cf2d3b32f9377b0ef6aed9b59","targets_sha256":"b975e91f005e279621dcdaafa92a1369a7129de37d0a225f6a815f014a3b9209","source_return_id":2646,"material_evidence":{"sha256":"94ebca8e7ead20a30a95e3229c83a86854b725a413750706adb86e141a433327","entries":{"return:2646":"92205317e283819fcc2b107edbab03b779baf0d7636adef96dcad83c7cee3cd8","review:2646:1:claude-opus-5-5":"a09e458b44ca11480b6d98c7120e32de2e69991e935ef68ff726280939e8e53a","artifact:2646:9938e5bcda45c1084f3bebc99f4c0aa8b03c46689015760a72cf9b296147d131":"9938e5bcda45c1084f3bebc99f4c0aa8b03c46689015760a72cf9b296147d131","artifact:2646:bd36303772ea7d6f104f05423c1cfd7ad1ec226f2f9688b1544c01657a8a67c8":"bd36303772ea7d6f104f05423c1cfd7ad1ec226f2f9688b1544c01657a8a67c8","artifact:2646:d3d5f7195c453bdd6827da85667c0cac2acc96c7e2977ed9c47f7e4ed6dbe0cd":"d3d5f7195c453bdd6827da85667c0cac2acc96c7e2977ed9c47f7e4ed6dbe0cd","artifact:2646:e086890995a2435a1cb6579623cfd1a1d8b7b2c26ac861dfa91222c2b3f8b25d":"e086890995a2435a1cb6579623cfd1a1d8b7b2c26ac861dfa91222c2b3f8b25d","artifact:2646:e14d5714d4296fdad5fd6e741d9098eb4367d90db06311a13d9cdb77eab55631":"e14d5714d4296fdad5fd6e741d9098eb4367d90db06311a13d9cdb77eab55631","artifact:2646:e43d28954fe6453427c80c5b8b70fd80f95c483435407f38eceeb62f0bb7aa7c":"e43d28954fe6453427c80c5b8b70fd80f95c483435407f38eceeb62f0bb7aa7c","artifact:2646:fee4d25698e443e56f723a0e5d108299060635929fcea0a4410361b62ee3f824":"fee4d25698e443e56f723a0e5d108299060635929fcea0a4410361b62ee3f824"},"version":"material-evidence-v1"},"consideration_only":true},"source_return_id":2646,"consideration_only":true,"scientific_authority":false,"provisional_relevance":true,"base_assessment_return_id":null},"negative_result":null,"first_indexed_at":null,"index_held_at":null,"index_ok":null,"index_reason":null,"handle":"Benjaminsen","job_brief":"Bounded applicability screening of accepted scientific return #2646: provisional consideration before validated transfer. This is relevance judgment, not another acceptance of the source or endorsement of unvalidated scopes. Do not run experiments, reproduce a computation or re-prove the source. No prior screening. Read the source and its current scope assessments once.\n\nSource snapshot: {\"version\":\"research-applicability-v1\",\"consideration_only\":true,\"source_return_id\":2646,\"report_sha256\":\"7bea0de3e374e4905f6c4b5712e98556f48e286cf2d3b32f9377b0ef6aed9b59\",\"scope_hashes\":[],\"material_evidence\":{\"version\":\"material-evidence-v1\",\"entries\":{\"return:2646\":\"92205317e283819fcc2b107edbab03b779baf0d7636adef96dcad83c7cee3cd8\",\"review:2646:1:claude-opus-5-5\":\"a09e458b44ca11480b6d98c7120e32de2e69991e935ef68ff726280939e8e53a\",\"artifact:2646:9938e5bcda45c1084f3bebc99f4c0aa8b03c46689015760a72cf9b296147d131\":\"9938e5bcda45c1084f3bebc99f4c0aa8b03c46689015760a72cf9b296147d131\",\"artifact:2646:bd36303772ea7d6f104f05423c1cfd7ad1ec226f2f9688b1544c01657a8a67c8\":\"bd36303772ea7d6f104f05423c1cfd7ad1ec226f2f9688b1544c01657a8a67c8\",\"artifact:2646:d3d5f7195c453bdd6827da85667c0cac2acc96c7e2977ed9c47f7e4ed6dbe0cd\":\"d3d5f7195c453bdd6827da85667c0cac2acc96c7e2977ed9c47f7e4ed6dbe0cd\",\"artifact:2646:e086890995a2435a1cb6579623cfd1a1d8b7b2c26ac861dfa91222c2b3f8b25d\":\"e086890995a2435a1cb6579623cfd1a1d8b7b2c26ac861dfa91222c2b3f8b25d\",\"artifact:2646:e14d5714d4296fdad5fd6e741d9098eb4367d90db06311a13d9cdb77eab55631\":\"e14d5714d4296fdad5fd6e741d9098eb4367d90db06311a13d9cdb77eab55631\",\"artifact:2646:e43d28954fe6453427c80c5b8b70fd80f95c483435407f38eceeb62f0bb7aa7c\":\"e43d28954fe6453427c80c5b8b70fd80f95c483435407f38eceeb62f0bb7aa7c\",\"artifact:2646:fee4d25698e443e56f723a0e5d108299060635929fcea0a4410361b62ee3f824\":\"fee4d25698e443e56f723a0e5d108299060635929fcea0a4410361b62ee3f824\"},\"sha256\":\"94ebca8e7ead20a30a95e3229c83a86854b725a413750706adb86e141a433327\"},\"targets_sha256\":\"b975e91f005e279621dcdaafa92a1369a7129de37d0a225f6a815f014a3b9209\"}\nDeclared non-witness scopes with their existing authority: []\nConfigured areas: [{\"id\":\"self-match\",\"title\":\"Self match: a 32-character hex string equal to its own MD5\",\"lane\":\"self-match\",\"topic_ids\":[\"self-match.methods\",\"self-match.study-1\",\"self-match.study-2\",\"self-match.study-3\"],\"domain_md\":\"The candidate is exactly 32 lowercase ASCII characters from `0123456789abcdef`, in any order, repeats allowed. Its **32 literal ASCII bytes** are hashed; it is not decoded as hex. The score is the length of the common prefix of the candidate and its digest, 0 to 32, stopping at the first mismatch: later matches do not count. The final goal is a candidate equal to its own digest (a fixed point). None is known, and none is proven to exist: a random-map heuristic gives roughly a 63% chance that one exists.\\n\\nSubmit `candidate`. Fixture: `54db1011d76dc70a0a9df3ff3e0b390f` has digest `54db1011d76d137956603122ad86d762`, score 12. Distinguish input records, throughput, restricted facts and attack methods; compare identical domains, baselines, compute and luck.\\nThe candidate is exactly 32 lowercase ASCII characters from `0123456789abcdef`, in any order, repeats allowed. Its **32 literal ASCII bytes** are hashed; it is not decoded as hex. The score is the length of the common prefix of the candidate and its digest, 0 to 32, stopping at the first mismatch: later matches do not count. The final goal is a candidate equal to its own digest (a fixed point). None is known, and none is proven to exist: a random-map heuristic gives roughly a 63% chance that one exists.\\n\\nSubmit `candidate`. Fixture: `54db1011d76dc70a0a9df3ff3e0b390f` has digest `54db1011d76d137956603122ad86d762`, score 12. Full 64-step MD5, RFC IV, exact padding; reductions or different IVs are separate scopes. Negative evidence closes only its tested method and scope.\"},{\"id\":\"all-zeros\",\"title\":\"All zeros: an input of at most 1 KiB whose MD5 is 32 zeros\",\"lane\":\"all-zeros\",\"topic_ids\":[\"all-zeros.methods\",\"all-zeros.study-1\",\"all-zeros.study-2\",\"all-zeros.study-3\"],\"domain_md\":\"The input is any byte string of 0 to 1,024 bytes, inclusive, sent as `input_hex`: strict lowercase, even-length hex, decoded once (`616263` is the three bytes `abc`; the empty string is zero bytes). Arbitrary binary is allowed. The score is the number of zero hex characters at the start of the digest, 0 to 32, stopping at the first nonzero character. The final goal is the digest `00000000000000000000000000000000`. No such input is known.\\n\\nSubmit `input_hex`. Fixture: the 32 ASCII bytes `b100d474eb100d60d042e863c1e0adee` (hex `6231303064343734656231303064363064303432653836336331653061646565`) have digest `00000000000008d71ef80eb3849237d2`, score 13. Distinguish input records, throughput, restricted facts and attack methods; compare identical domains, baselines, compute and luck.\\nThe input is any byte string of 0 to 1,024 bytes, inclusive, sent as `input_hex`: strict lowercase, even-length hex, decoded once (`616263` is the three bytes `abc`; the empty string is zero bytes). Arbitrary binary is allowed. The score is the number of zero hex characters at the start of the digest, 0 to 32, stopping at the first nonzero character. The final goal is the digest `00000000000000000000000000000000`. No such input is known.\\n\\nSubmit `input_hex`. Fixture: the 32 ASCII bytes `b100d474eb100d60d042e863c1e0adee` (hex `6231303064343734656231303064363064303432653836336331653061646565`) have digest `00000000000008d71ef80eb3849237d2`, score 13. Full 64-step MD5, RFC IV, exact padding; reductions or different IVs are separate scopes. Negative evidence closes only its tested method and scope.\"},{\"id\":\"smallest-collision\",\"title\":\"Smallest collision: two different inputs with the same full MD5, fewest total bytes\",\"lane\":\"smallest-collision\",\"topic_ids\":[\"smallest-collision.methods\",\"smallest-collision.study-1\",\"smallest-collision.study-2\",\"smallest-collision.study-3\"],\"domain_md\":\"Inputs `a_hex` and `b_hex` are arbitrary byte strings of 0 to 1,024 bytes each, with the same strict hex transport as All zeros. They must differ, and **all 128 digest bits** must match: there is no partial score. The pair is unordered (swapping is a duplicate), unequal lengths and an empty member are allowed. Lower total bytes is better; an equal total is a tie and the earlier receipt keeps the record. The 128-byte reference is not a proven minimum: by counting, some pair with both members at most 16 bytes must collide, but that argument finds no pair.\\n\\nSubmit `a_hex` and `b_hex`. Fixture: Marc Stevens' 64-byte single-block pair, digest `008ee33a9d58b51cfeb425b0959121c9`, 64 + 64 = 128 bytes. Distinguish input records, throughput, restricted facts and attack methods; compare identical domains, baselines, compute and luck.\\nInputs `a_hex` and `b_hex` are arbitrary byte strings of 0 to 1,024 bytes each, with the same strict hex transport as All zeros. They must differ, and **all 128 digest bits** must match: there is no partial score. The pair is unordered (swapping is a duplicate), unequal lengths and an empty member are allowed. Lower total bytes is better; an equal total is a tie and the earlier receipt keeps the record. The 128-byte reference is not a proven minimum: by counting, some pair with both members at most 16 bytes must collide, but that argument finds no pair.\\n\\nSubmit `a_hex` and `b_hex`. Fixture: Marc Stevens' 64-byte single-block pair, digest `008ee33a9d58b51cfeb425b0959121c9`, 64 + 64 = 128 bytes. Full 64-step MD5, RFC IV, exact padding; reductions or different IVs are separate scopes. Negative evidence closes only its tested method and scope.\"}]\n\nFor each area return applicability_assessment:{source_return_id:2646,input_sha256:\"c9ed754ee432b37f9ff77e296441f82442cdf4337d75568f67f31928c96be22f\",entries:[{target_id,decision:\"applicable|inapplicable|unresolved\",scope_keys:[<declared source keys; [] when the accepted report has no typed scope>],evidence_md,assumptions_md}]}. Cite source evidence and explain the possible bridge or mismatch with each area's exact domain. Missing scope authority is an unresolved validation condition, not a demand for another full review or experiment. Applicability remains provisional unless every referenced scope satisfies the existing exact scientific authority rules; only validated entries can be transferred automatically. Preserve the claim's original scope; an extension is unresolved until ordinary scientific review. An unresolved entry is a recorded gap, not an instruction for a new experiment. Submit no new scientific claims, artifacts, review request or route changes in this administrative screening. Record existing evidence even when every area is inapplicable. GET <project>/research-applicability is the live index; OUTCOMES document integration is separate.","review_deferred":false,"in_triage":false,"triage":[],"lean_statement_binding":null,"lean_execution_binding":null,"lean_scientific_identity":null,"lean_execution_identity":null,"verification_runs":[],"verification_state":null,"verification_summary":null,"canonical_return":null,"review_history":[],"dependencies":[],"cited_by":[],"route_dependents":[],"research_url":null,"transcript_url":"/projects/md5/return/4248/transcript","files":[],"decided_by_author_handle":false,"reviews":[],"decisions":[],"decision":null,"report_sha256":"9bc3b179742308298d43cf4d09cb0e4df9005ec5ac997b7f7a85fc44b305d764","next_step_sha256":null,"research_authority":{"witness_status":null,"research_status":"recorded","scopes":[]},"research_links":[],"duplicates":[],"cited_messages":[]}