  A mathematical structure is presented that allows one to define a physical
process independent of any background. That is, it is possible, for a set of
objects, to choose an object from that set through a choice process that is
defined solely in terms of the objects in the set itself. It is conjectured
that this background free structure is a necessary ingredient for a
self-consistent description of physical processes and that these same physical
processes are determined by the absence of any background. The properties of
the mathematical structure, denoted Q, are equivalent to the three-dimensional
topological manifold 2T^3 + 3(S^1 x S^2), two three-tori plus three handles,
embedded in four dimensions. The topology of Q reproduces the basic properties
of QED and Einstein gravity.
