String theory Definition and 833 Threads

Now obviously String Theory has been responsible for some valuable research, and even if the theory were completely disproven (although I don't see how; my understanding is that it is still too vague in it's predictions and descriptions to be proven or disproven conclusively). But String Theory...

Can Loop Quantum Gravity and String Theory coexist? What if String theory was correct in its description of matter and 3 of the 4 forces, with the only difference from modern M theory being that there is simply no real particle called the graviton, and instead, gravity is as is described by LQG...

Hi everybody, let's assume the Higg's boson exists. If I understand String theory correctly (and I understand very little of it), then Higg's particle - just as any other particle - can be expressed as a particular vibration state of a string. If I understand Higg's theory correctly, then...

Each year, the annual String conference provides us with a kind of snapshot of the field as it is today. The lineup of invited speakers and the titles of their talks give an idea of the current activity and interests of string researchers. This year Strings 2012 is in Munich and starts on...

I noticed that in quantum physics, an elementary particle has no dimensions, and is point like, but in string theory has one dimension. Why is this?

From what I understand, the Higgs Boson was the last missing piece of the Standard Model (12 indivisible particles, 4 forces). Now that the Standard Model is complete, has String Theory been disproved? Is there a conflict between the Standard Model and String Theory?

This may be a silly question since i am relatively new to the string theory. While going through a quantization of the bosonic string , I see a tower of states appearing corresponding to different modes of excitations of the bosonic string. Now I was trying to figure out how this whole machine...

A long time ago, physicists thought that only a small class of quantum field theories (QFT's) makes physical sense - those which are renormalizable. But then gradually it became accepted (Weinberg was the most influential figure in that regard) that QFT does not really need to be renormalizable...

A fundamental difference between classical and quantum mechanics is that the former is deterministic; the latter, probabilistic. I'm wondering where string theory fits into this picture? Is the landscape described by string theory determinate or indeterminate? Along the same lines, classical...

I like to think myself as adequately familiar with the concept of String Theory and it's basic fundamentals, But I'm wondering if string theory offers explanations to the currently unexplained such as universal expansion, quantum Entangelment, radio active decay, why virtual exist, etc? Or does...

If String Theory explains/"leads to gravity, how does it not make predictions? String Theory "predicts" gravity. It can explain gravity and it explains "small" structures. If String Theory includes these two topics shouldn't it predict what happens when Quantum Gravity becomes non-negligible...

I'm not sure if this question is something that has been asked before or if i thought about it myself or if it's completely ridiculous! But I was thinking, if, according to String Theory, particles are 1-dimensional strings that go through modes of oscillation, could they describe how a...

Hello, My name is Holly... I'm new here... so i have no idea weather I put this in the right section! D: ... Sorry if so :3 Basically, I have been put to the task of writing a paper on String Theory and weather or weather not String Theory/ M-Theory (i can do either one, will do the...

Can anyone give me a general sense of what the quantum master equation (or BV master equation) is and how it relates to string theory? I'm an undergraduate physics student and am hoping to do research with a professor on the topic, but need some basic knowledge on the subject.

Good evening. I am wondering if string theory and loop quantum gravity could be combined into a single theory. I have been trying to decide which of the two I should choose as my "religion," but I feel that both are correct. Could string theory and loop quantum gravity be different...

I have read in a couple different places that the math that comes out of string theory has helped a couple of different other branches of physics like quantum computing and condensed matter physics. Quote from: http://www.ams.org/news/math-in-the-media/11-2011-media "Maybe string theory is...

Hello all, I am currently a Junior in High School with a deep interest in Physics/Mathematics, specifically in the area of theoretical Physics and String Theory. I was accepted to a summer course on String Theory and am quite excited. The course stated that the only prerequisite is Single...

Hi, I was wondering what the scope is these days to do a PhD in theoretical physics, but without delving into string theory? Is the world of theoretical physics still very much dominanated by string theory, or can young physicists go down alternative routes? I seem to remember that some years...

The appearance here of threads such as Causes of loss of interest in the String program and Is string theory really science? are for me a symptom of the frustration of modern physicists struggling to formulate in a predictive way the concept of elementary objects that are geometrically linear...

I read somewhere that one power of string theory is that there is no adjustable dimensionless parameter in the theory. Why is this considered a strong point in favour of string theory? Second, how does the theory help in solving cosmological constant problem? Again there is no adjustable...

The scientific method says that if experiments or observations falsify a theory, that theory must be rejected. String theory requires space to have 9 dimensions. But observation shows that our space has only 3 dimensions. This alone should falsify string theory. I know that scientists have...

Are there any theories as to what could possibly cause/create the vibrating one dimensional strings in string theory? Are the strings at the lower end of electromagnetic radiation? Or something completely different?

--I understand that the original basis of string theory was as explanation for the ontological origin quanta . I have a few questions: 1) What is the origin and material make-up of the string? (How can we avoid the metaphysical pit-fall of an infinite regress in regards the ontological...

Hello everyone. I am an undergraduate senior anticipating degrees in both physics and astrophysics this spring. Until about a year ago I wasn't particularly sure what I wanted to do after graduation. However, after taking upper division QM and particle physics courses I've developed a great...

In a youtube video Paul Davies Beyond Belief, he said that string theory and M theory were so obviously and patently false that he didn't even bother to discuss them. I thought Lee Smolin was the only critic of string theory I didn't know that Paul Davies was one too. How much weight does...

Say you have a rudimentary grasp of classical physics and calculus. How many hours of study does it take before you can start to understand string theory. I'm not talking about how many hours does it take before you can actually make a contribution to the field, rather how long does it take...

In string theory, what are the small strings physically made out of?

In string theory, what physically causes the small strings to vibrate?

Hello, I was thinking of eventually studying some string theory and I came across Barton Zwiebach's book on the subject. Would this be a good place to start? I know some GR at the level of Schutz/Hartle, Schrodinger QM at the level of Griffiths, Classical Mechanics at the level of Marion &...

Hey all, I started reading up on string theory the other day, and a colleague told me that string theory is already being applied in communications. He said that it is being used to account for the effect of gravitation on electromagnetic waves. This seems a little too hard to believe...

I'm unsure if this is the right place for this question or not but hopefully I'll still get some helpful responses even if I'm in the wrong place! I was discussing a potential string theory research project with a potential supervisor and he was asking me whether I was more interested in...

Hi, All: I am a fiction writer and am interested in writing a short story that ties actual music with physicists' string theory. I have (very) rudimentary knowledge based on layman readings and shows like Brian Greene's TV series. If I have it correct, at the very core of everything are tiny...

I've been hearing that String Theory tied to eternal inflation seems to be providing support for the multiverse. But, I'm missing something with this connection. (1) Eternal inflation seems to "predict" a truly infinite number of other Universes or, at least as time progresses, a limit...

Last night I read a brief summary of string theory. My understanding is that electrons, neutrons, quarks, etc are made up of a 'string'. Depending on how the string vibrates is what determines if it's an electron, neutron, etc. I hope I'm not way off. But if that's the case, my questions that I...

String Theory is basically the idea involving an indefinite amount of invisible "strings" vibrating at a large spectrum of frequencies, thus creating sub-atomic particles that compose everything we experience and ourselves. It would make sense if you could test this theory by creating something...

ever since i heard about how string theory clames to be able to describe particles through string vibrations, i have been looking for the equation that relates particles to string vibrations, i.e., by using this equation i could as a example:"see what string vibration is a electron". do any of...

Hey guys! Which research departments are best? I was hoping to get the top 3-4 institutions names. Basically I am into mathematical string theory and geometry/topology-physics in general.

Can string theory or quantum gravity theory predict faster than light neutrinos ?

What is the relationship between quantum field theory and string theory?

I read an interesting article http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-does-the-higgs-boson which says that string theory seems to require our world to have a property called supersymmetry and also, I have heard that the supersymmetry requires the eexistence of at least 5 Higgs...

I'm an engineer trying to get a reasonable laymen's/conceptual understanding of string theory. I've finally gotten a general understanding of developing classical equations of motion, but I'm a little stuck on relativistic equations. As I understand it, relativistic equations of motion are...

Hello, like I said in the topic title I am interested in what mathematics is needed for string theory to be studied. I am in faculty of electrical engineering, sub-filed nanoelectronics. I have good knowledge of math but not good in comparison with what is needed for superstrings, which I...

If spacetime is composed of tiny quantum "grains," the gamma-ray photons' polarization should change from random polarization (at the GRB source) to biased toward a certain polarization when received by the Integral spacecraft . The Integral polarization results depend on spacetime being...

"Loop variables for string theory" That is the title of a http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0207098" . I know quite a few people have wondered what string theory would look like in the framework of loop quantum gravity. Well, this is a glimpse of how it would be. Only a glimpse, because no-one...

I am currently an undergraduate majoring in honors physics and mathematics. I am also doing pre-med studies. If I don't make it into medical school, I am thinking about what field I should continue to study. The field of physics that I actually like is mathematical physics, including gauge...

Was Super String theory (theory that attempts to unite General Relativity and the Standard Model of particle physics) specifically designed to explain singularities; ie: phenomena such as black holes and the big bang? Does all other phenomena obey, and can be explained, by either classical...

because there are these "weird" spatial geometries on the elementary distance level (PS. sorry, this is unlear) PS. I mean physically 1 meter + 1 meter != 2 meters, because there is not that kind of precision on any of of these numbers regardless, as long as it is grounded in our universe PS...

Being tremendously bored I was looking up things on the outskirts of possibility like time travel into the past on wikipedia. There I was reading about Hawking Chronology Protection Conjecture argument against such possibilities for time travel to the past as a result of the fundamental laws of...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630111540.htm What do you guys think?

could you explain why quantum mechanics and general relativity don't mix. please help! Dr. Candy:biggrin: