A Theoretical Framework for Discovering Groups and Unitary Representations via Tensor Factorization

We analyze the HyperCube model, an \textit{operator-valued} tensor factorization architecture that discovers group structures and their unitary representations. We provide a rigorous theoretical explanation for this inductive bias by decomposing its objective into a term regulating factor scales ($\mathcal{B}$) and a term enforcing directional alignment ($\mathcal{R} \geq 0$). This decomposition isolates the \textit{collinear manifold} ($\mathcal{R}=0$), to which numerical optimization consistently converges for group isotopes. We prove that this manifold admits feasible solutions exclusively for group isotopes, and that within it, $\mathcal{B}$ exerts a variational pressure toward unitarity. To bridge the gap to the global landscape, we formulate a \textit{Collinearity Dominance Conjecture}, supported by empirical observations. Conditional on this dominance, we prove two key results: (1) the global minimum is achieved by the unitary regular representation for groups, and (2) non-group operations incur a strictly higher objective value, formally quantifying the model's inductive bias toward the associative structure of groups (up to isotopy).