T-232: Mixed rectangle-measure lower bound s(31)≥2391/400 verified, on a 2,073-direction declared net

V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed

2026-10-11 published · Hosono after Tokoharu and Levy · n=31

A rectangle measure of wand125/square-packing, published on 11 October 2026 and reported on no issue, proves s(31)≥2391/400 = 5.9775.

The certificate, mixed_n31_L59775, is a density of 536 uniform rectangles in D4 orbits, 4,244 distinct rectangles after expansion, and no point mass, of total mass 3099999/100000 < 31, on a net its candidate declares: core side 4999/5000 and 2,073 half-angle tangents of step 1/5002, the net of T-132, T-142 and T-143. Since 4999/5000 (1 + 1/5002) = 25009997/25010000 < 1, and the last tangent 1036/2501 is past tan(pi/8), every unit square contains a concentric core at a net angle strictly in its interior.

The retained maintained sqverify-fast capture verifies all 2,073 directions at threshold one, every core centred in its per-bin domain capturing mass at least one, with the source's node total. Its whole-net controls record 2,073 coverage refusals of the 99/100 mutant and no verified mutant direction, and the near-threshold mutant is refused. The mathematical review accepts the argument and the exact premises, and decided the capture again at 122 of the 2,073 directions with a clean-room exact checker of its own, all verified: sampled, 122 of 2,073 net directions, independently re-implemented.

This raises the verified and reported lower lanes at n=31 from 2381/400 (T-068, T-074) to 2391/400, by 1/40, above the 597/100 that jlevy/squares#446 reported on 8 October and never adopted, by 3/400. The bound is confirmed by a re-implementation sharing components with the producer's checker, sqverify-proof-net, which is Hosono's adaptation of this repository's sqverify_fast crate: the two share the crate apart from their declared-net readers. No independent full implementation, second method, proof-assistant check or optimality theorem is claimed.

Hosono after Tokoharu and Levy, square-packing. The source says parts of the work were produced with AI assistance under human direction.

Significance, composition and next rung
Significance
Scored as a claim: the strongest lower bound on record at n=31, 1/40 above the prior lanes, and it more than halves the gap to the upper bound 6 (from 19/400 to 9/400), by the certificate kind and declared net of T-132, T-142 and T-143, with no new technique, at S3 as T-142, T-143 and T-200 are. Not S4: no reusable technique, bound family or resolved disputed value. Not S5: n=31 is not a central open case.
Composition
One source certificate and one complete maintained native replay, C3. The replay shares components with the producer's checker, Hosono's adaptation of this repository's sqverify_fast crate, apart from the declared-net readers. Beside it stands a sample, not a second implementation of the whole: 122 of the 2,073 directions decided by the review's clean-room exact checker (E-wand125-fine-net-n31-59775-review-sample, cited by the case record), which sets no rung.
Next rung
None for the bound. V4 and C4 need a second qualifying adversarial AI review by a distinct reviewer and an explicit human oversight record; one AI review, of 23 October, is retained. An independent full implementation would add implementation diversity; the review's sample of 122 directions does not supply it.
Novelty
previously-published Present in an identified source

The case

Case record

n=31

5.976
567
5.5686.568
nn+1

Proven

5.97750≤s(31)≤6

  • exact

Citation record n-031

lowerHosono after Tokoharu and Levy 2026, GitHub (confirmed T-232)

Open

  • optimality

The case record

LowerUpper
Gap9400= 0.0225

Results on the case

12 results in the register on n=31, oldest first, each with what it established and how it stands now.

  1. 2005 published T-007

    s(n)≥min(⌈n⌉,n−2⌊n⌋+1+1) for 4≤n≤324

    V0 C1 Lower bound incomplete on this case, superseded by T-232

    Nagamochi · Nagamochi 2005 · source · register

  2. 2026-09-04 published T-085

    Nagamochi 2005, Lemma 1 is false for every container with a>3 and b>2

    V3 C3 Correction confirmed

    Karakuş; Vlasenko · Karakuş 2026 · chelokot Nagamochi counterexample 2026 · packet · register

  3. 2026-09-22 published T-047

    s(11)≥381/100; s(n)≥1377/250 for n=26…28; s(n)≥571/100 for n=29…31

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed superseded by T-232

    Tokoharu after Levy, Hosono, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · Tokoharu density 2026 · packet · source · review · register

  4. 2026-09-27 published T-045

    Rectangle-density lower bounds replayed at 15 counts in n=18…78

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed superseded by T-232

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 rectangle bounds 2026 · packet · packet · source · review · register

  5. 2026-09-27 published T-046

    Rectangle-density lower bounds verified at 48 counts in n=18…95

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed superseded by T-232

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 rectangle bounds 2026 · wand125 rectangle bounds 2026-09-28 · packet · packet · source · review · register

  6. 2026-09-29 published T-058

    Rectangle-certificate ceiling α·UB(n) proved for n=1..100; B·UB(n) on 64 grid rows

    V3 C3 Method limit confirmed

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Daniel · wand125 tools 2026 · packet · register

  7. 2026-09-29 published T-083

    s(n)≥1/2+n−⌊n⌋+1/4 for every nonsquare 8≤n≤324

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed on this case, superseded by T-232

    Karakuş · Karakuş 2026 · source · register

  8. 2026-10-01 published T-068

    Rectangle-density lower bounds verified at 34 counts in n=19…95

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed on this case, superseded by T-232

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 rectangle bounds 2026-10-01 · packet · source · review · register

  9. 2026-10-01 published T-074

    Rectangle-density lower bounds replayed at 31 counts in n=19…95

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed on this case, superseded by T-232

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 rectangle bounds 2026-10-01 · packet · packet · source · review · register

  10. 2026-10-07 published T-124

    Reported non-strict local minima for 178 source configurations

    V0 C0 Restricted optimality recorded

    Daniel after Couzo · Daniel exact and local reports 2026 · packet · register

  11. 2026-10-11 published T-232 this result

    Mixed rectangle-measure lower bound s(31)≥2391/400 verified, on a 2,073-direction declared net

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed

    Hosono after Tokoharu and Levy · wand125 fine-net n31 2026-10-11 · packet · source · review · register

  12. 2026-10-12 published T-261

    Reported grade-C local minima for 233 source configurations of field degree at most 4

    V3 C1 Restricted optimality incomplete

    Daniel after Schadt, Ellsworth, Levy · Daniel exact and local reports 2026-10-12 · packet · packet · register