docs/EXPERT_REVIEW_CHECKLIST.md

Expert review checklist

For each candidate of interest:

1. Load Hx.mtx.gz and Hz.mtx.gz; independently verify GF(2) ranks, H_X H_Z^T=0, and k=n-rank(H_X)-rank(H_Z).
2. Recompute row/column weights and Tanner connectivity if relevant to the hardware model.
3. Replay each included low-weight logical witness: check commutation with the opposite checks and non-membership in the same-type stabilizer row space.
4. For a FORMAL_OPEN_LOWER_BOUND item, independently rerun the low-weight exclusion and then extend it toward target.required_distance. Do not infer distance from BP/OSD.
5. For exact audits, independently solve every logical sector/direction or use a second exact implementation. The included witness alone proves only an upper bound.
6. Replay novelty against an independently curated literature registry. A novel label here is relative to the pinned repository registry.
7. Report exact integer evidence: k*d*d, 12*n, solver/version, timeouts, matrix hashes, and the candidate ID.

Priority review question: does any formally open, registry-novel candidate reach its required distance under an independent exact solver? The current dataset makes no affirmative claim.